Stable to Table in Seven Days
by Becks7
Summary: Gaia alerts Wheeler and the others to a shocking, but little known fact about something that is happening in America. Wheeler is upset when the events touch a nerve. The others see a side of him they've never seen before. Linka is pleasantly surprised.
1. I thought this was a civilized country!

Disclaimer: Not mine. The information and statistics used in upcoming chapters were provided by Duane L. Burright, from a New Zealand website called Horsetalk. Thanks to him for sharing his eye opening information with the world. And I didn't identify the names of any real life characters because...well, some of the things I have to say are not very flattering. You'lll see!

A/N: Not my usual, but since I have your attention, I wanted to try doing something that was more along the lines of a "real" CP episode (you know, something that actually dealt with a real life issue). It's something I became aware of a few years ago through an email I received from the "American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals" and something I've been actively involved in for over a year. Did you know that we slaughter horses in America so they can be shipped to Europe and Asia for human consumption? It was a shock to me. When I re-watched old CP eps, there was one called "No Horsing Around" where Ma-Ti went with his friend on a quest to find and tame a wild horse. They end up being captured by Hoggish Greedly who illegally crossed onto Indian land and was rounding up horses to send to slaughter. The initial email that I got from the ASPCA that made me aware of horse slaughter in the US was urging me to contact my representatives and senators and ask them to pass HR 249, which would make it illegal to slaughter wild horses. It was passed. So now that it is illegal to slaughter wild horses, we have moved on to slaughtering PET horses, horses who are tame, trusting of humans, but either no longer useful to those in the horse racing industry, or those whose owners were deceived into thinking they were selling their companion to a good home.

Dedicated to my best friend, my guinea pig Scully, who died while I was in the middle of writing this. Her passing put a hold on all my writing for a few weeks because I just couldn't do it without her sitting on my lap, as she always did when I was on the computer. She was there for every fic, and when I wrote letters to Senators and Congressmen urging them to end horse slaughter. I didn't think I'd be able to sit at the computer without her, but the horses need me to tell their story. She was my best friend when I was homesick at college. She'd sit with me when I'd write my papers or do school work, we'd watch TV together, and when I'd go out, she was always happy to see me when I came home (mostly because she knew she was about to get fed!), and she was definitely the most spoiled guinea pig that ever lived! She was my company when I wrote. She'd sit on my lap while I typed, or snuggle into my arms when I'd proof read. Now I find it hard to sit down and write anything without her. So this fic started with my piggy sitting in my lap and it ends with her ashes sitting next to me on my desk, so she's still here, but it's not the same.

Stable to Table in Seven Days

Kwame, Gi, Wheeler, Linka, and Ma-Ti were spending a relaxing afternoon on the beach of Hope Island. The boys were kicking a soccer ball around, Gi was swimming, and Linka was sunbathing. The ball got away from the boys and rolled over towards Linka. She picked it up and tossed it to Wheeler who had come over to retrieve it.

"Thanks Babe. Sorry for interrupting."

"That is ok. I was just getting ready to go for a swim. I am getting hot," Linka said.

"Getting? You're always hot!" Wheeler flirted.

"Ha ha. You are funny. You better get back to your game. The other boys are waiting for their ball."

"They can wait. Looks like your shoulders are getting a little red. Maybe I should rub some suntan lotion on your back for you," Wheeler suggested hopefully, but expecting to be denied.

"Ok."

"SERIOUSLY?!"

"Nyet!" Linka said with a laugh.

"You're a tease."

"You're a lollipop."

"It's sucker. I'm a sucker."

"I know!" she laughs.

"Hey, you did that on purpose!" Wheeler exclaimed. "That's pretty impressive actually."

"Thank you. Here," she said as she handed Wheeler the suntan lotion.

"What's this for?"

"What do you think it is for? Put it on me," she says as she turns around with her back towards him.

"For real this time?"

"Da, for real. Someone has to do it and if you do not hurry up, you are going to miss your chance and I will just ask Gi to do it."

"No no no, I got this."

Just as Wheeler squeezed a generous amount of lotion onto his hand, the worst thing that could happen to him at that moment happened.

"Planeteers, to the Crystal Chamber," Gaia summoned.

"NOOOOOOOO!! You have GOT to be kidding me."

"Guess I do not need it after all. Thanks anyway Yankee."

"What is it Gaia?" Ma-Ti asks.

"Hoggish Greedly is at it again. He is buying horses cheap at auctions, conning unsuspecting owners who are selling their pet, and even stealing horses out of their owners' fields in order to sell them to slaughter and get paid by the pound."

"I thought that was illegal?" Kwame asked.

"No. Unfortunately, what he is doing is completely legal. Immoral, but legal," Gaia said.

"Americans do not eat horsemeat. Why are American horses being slaughtered?" Linka asked.

"Eww, who would eat a horse?" Wheeler asked.

"People need to do what is necessary to survive," Kwame said. "In Africa, I had to hunt to feed my family. I did not like having to kill animals, but it was necessary for survival."

"Sorry Kwame, that is not the case here, "Gaia interrupted. "Horsemeat isn't being shipped overseas to feed the poor. It is considered a delicacy and served in expensive restaurants."

"Sick," Wheeler said. "Eatin' a horse is no different than eating a dog or cat!"

"Different cultures eat different foods. Some cultures do not eat cows or pigs," Gi explained.

"So are you saying you are not appalled by this Gi?" Linka asked.

"I'm saying, the issue here isn't what's being eaten, it's the fact that Hoggish Greedly is involved and is deceiving people."

"No, the issue isn't JUST Greedly. It's about animal cruelty Gi. Horses aren't meant to be slaughtered. They're pets, not livestock."

"I am upset by this too, but I did not expect this reaction from you Wheeler," Ma-Ti admitted.

"The horse is an American icon. It's a big part of the history and heritage. The country wouldn't be what it is today without it."

"Don't you think you're being a little over dramatic Wheeler? All you need is your national anthem playing in the background!" Gi joked.

Wheeler did not find it funny. After all, no one laughed at his jokes when he tried to make light of an eco-emergency. Plus, as far as Wheeler was concerned, this was no laughing matter.

"I'm serious. When I think of horses, I don't just think of a farm animal. I think of Paul Revere riding his horse through Boston warning that the British were coming. I think of George Washington or Ulysses Grant and Robert Lee leading their troops into battle. Or the horse drawn carriages that brought the founding fathers to Independence Hall in Philly to sign the Declaration of Independence."

Everyone was stunned into silence at Wheeler's outburst. Linka was impressed. In all their years as Planeteers, it was rare for Wheeler to voice his outrage about something. When it came to caring about issues, with Wheeler, it was always "actions speak louder than words." Something about his enthusiasm on this subject sparked something in her.

"And do not forget about the horses who pulled the covered wagons as your country moved westward to develop," Linka added.

"Yeah. And the horses that plowed the fields in the Midwest," Wheeler continued.

"And do not forget the importance and significance of the horse to the Native American culture," Ma-Ti offered.

"So what's the plan Gaia?" Wheeler asked.

"First of all, I think you all need to understand what is going on. It is not just about Greedly deceiving people, nor is it just about a cultural difference on what's acceptable and what is not. There are lies being told and misconceptions that need to be exposed. Some of you should go to a horse auction. See that these are not sick, old, or untamed, mean horses being bought for slaughter. Take note of the way they are transported. Follow them to either Canada or Mexico, and observe the conditions, and how they are treated. It's just as much about animal cruelty as it is about the deceitful way in which Greedly is obtaining the horses. The others should go to Washington DC and talk to Senators and Congressmen about supporting S.311/H.R.503 The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. There is already a grassroots lobbyist group already gathering there for a convention. They will also be meeting with Senators and Congressmen. Your input as Planeteers could be very instrumental in getting them to listen. Greedly is already there with others who are pro-slaughter, trying to convince the politicians to vote 'No' on the bill. Knowing Greedly, he's probably bribing them."

"'Others who are pro-slaughter?' How could anyone other than Greedly be supportive of slaughter?" Linka asks.

"There are alot of people in the farming industry who think that selling a horse to slaughter is a good way to get rid of horses who are no longer useful. A farm horse who can no longer work, a race horse who isn't fast enough, a broodmare or stallion who is no longer useful for breeding…instead of having an unwanted horse humanely euthanized, these people sell them to slaughter for a few hundred dollars. It is not a pet to them, it is property. They do not care what happens to the animal once it is no longer useful to them. There are pharmaceutical companies that manufacture drugs using the urine from pregnant mares..."

"Wait! Horse pee? Gross! What kinda drugs use that? I'll never use them," Wheeler interrupts.

"There are hormones in the urine that are used to make drugs for women going through menopause. The mares used are always pregnant. As soon as their foals are born, they are taken away from their mothers and the mares are bred again so they get pregnant. There's no break for their bodies to recover from birthing. During their pregnancy, they are force fed water in order to make them urinate more. They are filled with so much water, their stomachs cannot handle it all at once."

"What happens to the foals?" Kwame asks.

"They are usually sent to slaughter houses. There are rescue groups out there that try to save as many as they can, but they can't save them all."

"They slaughter foals?! There cannot be much meat on them. What is the point?" Ma-Ti asks.

"There is no point. It is just one way of getting rid of the foal and getting money for it," Gaia explains. "They send the foal to a place called a 'feedlot' where the smaller horses are fattened up for a few weeks, months, or until they reach a certain weight. Then there are foals who are taken away from their mothers so that their mother can become a surrogate feeder to a more expensive foal from a champion bloodline."

"Why not just leave that foal with its birth mother?" Linka asks.

"Because as soon as the mare with the good bloodlines gives birth, she is then bred again to a stallion with good bloodlines, and another valuable foal is produced and sold for hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars," Gaia explains.

"I'm going to DC," Wheeler declares.

"Do you really think that is a good idea? You're a little too emotional about this one. You may not come across as making a very valid argument if they perceive you as thinking with your heart and not your head," Gi says.

"I disagree," says Linka. "It is good that he is showing emotion in his arguments. I think that once we know more facts, he can use those emotional arguments and back them up with facts. Besides, Wheeler IS American. He has a better chance of getting them to listen to him than any of us do. And I will go with him to make sure he behaves."

"Good. Wheeler and Linka will go to DC and refute Greedly's side of the story. Kwame, Gi, and Ma-Ti, after you drop them off, you will go to a horse auction in New Holland, Pennsylvania. Rigger is there bidding on horses."

"Why do we go to Mexico or Canada? Are there no slaughterhouses in the States?" Kwame asks.

"Not anymore. An several groups who oppose horse slaughter have managed to shut them down with the cooperation of the state governments and Supreme Court. These groups have since come together as one, Americans Against Horse Slaughter. They are the ones that are lobbying in DC now. Unfortunately, that did not end the slaughtering of American horses. Now they are being transported even longer distances in inhumane conditions to Canada and Mexico where they face an even more brutal, merciless death. For instance, in Mexico, the horse is stabbed repeatedly in the neck and back until the spine is severed. They are conscious the entire time."

"Let us go. We cannot let this go on any longer!" Linka says.

* * *

As Gi pilots the Geo Cruiser, Linka searches for useful information on her laptop.

"Wheeler, come here and look at this website."

Linka moves over and makes room on the edge of her seat for Wheeler to sit next to her.

"What'cha got Babe?"

"It is the Americans Against Horse Slaughter website. It has all the facts and myths about horse slaughter listed. We can use this information to argue against anything Greedly says," she suggests.

"Maybe you should also look for a pro slaughter website. You know, to make sure you are not getting just one side of the story," Kwame says.

"I have. I checked several of them. They all say the same thing, but have no answers to the anti-slaughter arguments against them."

"This is some good stuff Linka," Wheeler says as he looks up from the laptop. "I hope I can remember it all."

"Do not worry. Between the two of us, I think we will manage to make Greedly wish he had never thought of this idea."

"See, I always knew you'd finally realize what a great team we make," Wheeler teased as he put his arm around her.

"I have always realized it. I am surprised you have never noticed."

"What?! No you haven't. Believe me, I would've noticed!"

"Anytime we team up on a mission, we do well…as long as YOU behave! That is what I have noticed when we team up." Linka said.

"That's not what I…never mind."

"Shut up and read Yankee," Linka said with a smile as she gently elbowed him in the ribs.

He did as he was told, but kept his arm around her shoulder, wondering how long he could keep it there before she made him remove it. She never did.

* * *

The Geo Cruiser Landed on The Mall in DC. After the Planeteers wished each other luck and said goodbye, Wheeler and Linka started making their way to the Capitol Building. Spring had arrived and the Cherry Blossoms were in bloom.

"It is beautiful. I have seen pictures of the Cherry Blossoms, but it is so much nicer in person," Linka said.

"I'm glad you're the one that's doing this with me. Thanks for offering to come with me," Wheeler says.

"It upsets me to know that this is going on."

"Yeah, me too. I can't believe Gi isn't as outraged as the rest of us. It's like she doesn't see what's wrong with horse slaughter."

"How many times have you started out a mission not knowing all the facts or feeling one way about an issue, but then by the end of the mission, you are fully educated and have changed your mind, or seen that you were wrong? In this mission, Gi is taking over your usual role!"

"Yeah, I guess you have a point. It's just weird that she's trying to justify it…you don't think she eats horse do you?!"

"I do not know Wheeler. Maybe she has. In fact, she probably has if it is not uncommon in her culture. You know, you eat cows and pigs and in some cultures, that is not acceptable."

"Cows and pigs aren't pets Babe. I mean, they can be, but mostly they are livestock. I'm not saying that killing them for food isn't sad. It is, and sometimes I feel bad, but I'm a carnivore…but only animals that are meant to be eaten. Dogs, cats, and horses are pets, not livestock. American's would never allow dogs and cats to be slaughtered to be sent to Asia for human consumption, so why don't they do something about it being done to horses?"

"Because most of them do not know, Wheeler. Part of our job here is to get the attention of Senators and Congressmen, but the other part is to inform the public," Linka explained.

"So Babe, any particular reason why you wanted to come to DC and not go with the others? Wanted to spend some quality time with a certain handsome American perhaps?"

"Actually, I did want to come along to be with you…to keep an eye on you. Plus, I like horses. When I was little, I always wanted a horse, but we did not have the money to buy one, let alone feed it and take care of it. I guess it is every girl's dream to have a pony."

"Not just girls. I kinda always wanted one too," Wheeler confessed.

"Really? Where were you going to keep it? Tie it to a parking meter on the street?!" she joked.

"Yeah, Brooklyn doesn't exactly have prime conditions for owning a horse. At least you had alot of land."

"So let me guess, you wanted a horse because you were fascinated by cowboys and the Old West."

"Close. I was fascinated by cowboys and the Old West because of the horses. When I was 8 or 9 years old, I spent the summer with my grandparents who lived upstate. I didn't realize it then, but it was their way of getting me away from my dad. Anyways, I guess they didn't know what to do with me. I was bored. Going outside and playing wasn't my idea of a good time. Besides, there were no other kids my age around for me to play with. I wanted to be home with my video games and my friends. The county fair came to town and they took me. It wasn't Coney Island, but it was fun. They bought me everything I asked for. Candy apples, cotton candy, corn dogs…they let me play games and I won a few prizes. I won a teddy bear that I planned on giving to this girl that I had a crush on. Her name was Gillian and she was in my grade. When school started up again in the fall, I packed that bear in my backpack and was so nervous. I thought for sure I'd chicken out and not give it to her."

"Did you?" Linka asked.

"No. Turns out her family moved to Michigan that summer. But back to the story…I'd never seen a farm animal in person before and the fair had all kinds. People would raise them and win contests for the best one. There were dairy cows, beef cow, pigs…it smelled horrible. I'd never smelt anything like that, but now, when I smell it, it'd not so bad. It kinda makes me happy actually…brings back memories. Then I saw that they had pony rides. I was scared and excited at the same time. I changed my mind. I didn't want to ride the pony anymore, I just wanted to pet it. My grandpa was like 'I didn't just pay 10 for you to pet him. If all you wanted to do was pet the animals, we could have gone to the petting zoo for 5 bucks.' Then my Gram, she was the best...she knew I was scared. She says 'Don, let him be. He needs to get used to the pony first.' And I did. I petted him for a few more minutes and he kept nuzzling my hand. He was bigger than me, but definitely friendly. Then I looked into his eyes. This is gonna sound weird, but keep in mind, I was just a kid…I could see it in his eyes, he was telling me it was ok, that he was my friend, it was gonna be fun, and it was like he was _begging_ me to ride him. I got on his back and we were led around the ring. That's when I felt like a cowboy. Me and my pony, walking in circles, slow as hell…but in my mind, he was a big ol' stallion and we were chasin' down a train robber. It kills me to know that he and others just like him could end up on someone's dinner plate just because humans no longer have a need for their services. I spent the rest of that day at the horse stables. They were so much bigger than my pony buddy, but they all had that same look in their eyes. I wasn't afraid of them anymore."

Linka took Wheeler's hand and squeezed it.

"That is a good story Yankee. You should tell it to the Senators that we meet with."

"But we've got all these facts. Shouldn't we be more concerned with informing them of the truth?" Wheeler asks.

"What could be more truthful than a childhood memory that stirs up emotions? Anyone with a heart will be affected by what you just said."

"That's the problem Babe, we're dealing with politicians. They don't base decisions on emotions, and they definitely don't have hearts. It's all about the hard facts, hard cash, and votes. Unfortunately, their votes go to the highest bidder. When I was looking at that website you found, it said that the pro-slaughter side is funding alot of these guys' campaigns. That guy that's holding up getting the bill voted on so it can become law, the Senator from Idaho, he's like a sexual pervert or something."

"Wheeler, I know you are mad, but in order to be taken seriously, we cannot resort to name calling," Linka said.

"No, I'm serious. He was busted by an undercover cop trying to solicit sex in a public restroom! That guy has the nerve to make major decisions? He shouldn't even be allowed to remain a senator! I mean, Clinton had 'relations' with an intern and they wanted to impeach him. This guy gets a free pass!"

"They did not try to impeach Clinton because he had an affair, they tried to impeach him because he LIED UNDER OATH! Bozhe Moy Yankee. Why do I know more about your country than you?!"

"Because you're way smarter than me!"

"Flattery will get you no where."

"I think you mean 'flattery will get you everywhere,' Babe."

"Oh. Ok…wait…NO IT IS NOT!"

"Can't blame a guy for trying can you?" Wheeler laughed.

"Do not confuse me," she replied as she playfully slapped his arm.

"Sorry. Couldn't resist…where was I? Oh right, the senator from Idaho used campaign money to pay for his legal fees. A good chunk of that money came from the American Veterinary Medicine Association."

"I cannot believe that veterinarians support such an inhumane practice! How can they possibly consider slaughter to be humane euthanization?"

"No clue. Hopefully we get some answers…Here we are. Who should we start with first?"

"I say we go straight to the top and speak with the…what is it called…Senate Majority leader?" Linka asks.

"Sounds about right."

"We should start with him then. Why waste valuable time on the others?"

"Because…they need a certain number of co-sponsors. The people who've sponsored the bill want as much support as possible and need to be certain that they have enough votes to get the bill to pass. We need to talk to all the senators who haven't co-sponsored yet. I have the list. We can use the feedback provided by the American's Against Horse Slaughter to find out which senators are supportive of the bill, but haven't co-sponsored. There are some representatives that co-sponsored this bill last time it went through the House, but have yet to sign on as co-sponsors this time. We need to find out if there is a reason they won't co-sponsor, and if they say they need more information, we give it to them. They're probably buying into the pro-slaughter's myths and having second thoughts. That's were we come in."

"Wow Wheeler! I'm impressed. You are smart. I do not know why you play dumb all the time."

"It's part of my charm and appeal!"

"Says who?" Linka asked.

"You don't think so?"

"Nyet. Not at all. I think that a smart man is much more appealing and charming."

"Oh yeah? Well then, allow me to recite my times tables for you…two times two is four. Four times four is sixteen…"

"Ok, you have proven your point."

"Good. Cuz I'm not sure I know what sixteen times sixteen is," Wheeler said with a chuckle.

The Wind and Fire Planeteers arrive at the office of the Senate Majority Leader and hope that this is the first step in gaining support and getting a feel for what they need to do and who they need to talk to in order to get results.


	2. Planeteers, Pigs, and Politicians

Meanwhile, Gi, Ma-Ti, and Kwame have just arrived in New Holland Pennsylvania, site of the New Holland Horse Auction. There are hundreds of horses being loaded in and out of trailers. Over the loudspeaker, a man's voice was calling out a lot number, describing a horse, and starting the bidding. The Planeteers look to their left and see a group of people crowded around a corral, bidding on a horse.

"That horse looks sick. You can see its ribs!" Ma-Ti says.

"Who would want to buy a horse like that?" Gi asks.

"No one. Which is why they end up here," Kwame adds. "According to Gaia, the killer buyers come to auctions to get horses real cheap and fatten them up so that they can make a profit when they sell them by the pound to the slaughterhouses."

"SOLD to the man in the green hat."

The Planeteers turn their attention to the man leading the sad looking horse away from the corral.

"I do not believe it!" Kwame exclaims.

"RIGGER?!" Gi and Ma-Ti gasp.

The man in question looks around at hearing his name.

"PLANET BRATS?!"

"What are you planning on doing with that horse Rigger?"

"None of your business, Eco-Geek. Besides, there's nothing you can do about it because I'm not doing anything wrong."

"Maybe not legally, but morally, what you are doing is sickening," Ma-Ti says.

"It's just business kid," Rigger says as he loads the horse into the double-decker trailer, which already contained several other horses, and locks it up.

"Rigger, you can not haul those horses in that trailer! It is meant for cattle, not horses. Their necks are too long. Those trailers force them to keep their heads lowered and makes it difficult for them to breathe," Kwame says.

"Not only that, but they are crammed in there so tight, they can not move," Ma-Ti adds.

"Do they even have food or water in there?" Gi asks.

"They'll be fine. That trailer is much nicer than their next destination. They should enjoy it while they can. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got more horses to buy…oh, and if you even think about breaking those horses out, I'll have you arrested for stealing. I paid for them fair and square. They're my property now, yep yep," Rigger threatens as he walks away.

"Ma-Ti, you stay here with these horses and keep them calm. Let them know that we will save them…" Kwame says.

"…But Rigger said…"

"I know what Rigger said. We WILL find a way. Gi, you go back to the Geo Cruiser and see what you can find about Pennsylvania's animal cruelty laws. Surely we can find something that Rigger is doing that is a violation, or at least find something that can stall him from taking these horses to the slaughterhouse," Kwame orders. "I will follow Rigger to see what he is up to."

Kwame catches up to Rigger and sees him talking to a young woman and a middle-aged man. Kwame stands back so Rigger doesn't see him, but is close enough so that he can hear the conversation.

"Beth is leaving for college this fall and can't take care of Patriot while she's away. We tried to sell him on our own, but I guess we were asking too much. We thought it'd be nice to have some extra money for books. Then we heard about the auction and thought it'd probably be our best bet to sell him."

"But daddy, why can't I just board him somewhere while I'm gone? Then when I come home for breaks, I can take care of him," the girl pleads.

"Do you know how much it costs to board a horse? You need that money for school."

"Why can't he just stay at our place and you take care of him?"

"I don't have time. I can't get up and feed him, go to work, then come home from a long day at work, and have to clean out his stall. He'd have no one to ride him or spend time with him. Do you really want that for him?"

"No."

Rigger started talking.

"Don't worry kid. I'll take good care of him. I have a little girl of my own and I'm looking for a good horse for her. Your friend here seems like a perfect companion."

"He is."

Kwame listened intently and thought to himself, "Rigger does not have a kid. What is he doing?"

"How much were you asking for him?" Rigger asks.

"15 hundred," the dad said.

"I'll give you five," Rigger offered.

"NO! Daddy! He's worth more than that. If I have to sell him, at least make it worth it. 500 will only get me books for one, MAYBE two semesters."

"There's no way we're going to get what we were asking for Beth. 500 is a good start. You can get a job in the summer to make more."

"NO! I WON'T GO. I'LL FIND A LOCAL COLLEGE SO I CAN LIVE AT HOME."

"Don't be ridiculous Beth. Clarion is a good school. I'm not going to let you give that up for community college."

"But it's my life!"

"And your mother and I have worked very hard to give you a good one. You need to get a good education and get a good job. Then you can get as many horses and you want."

"I don't want any others. I want Patriot!"

"It's ok, I promise he'll have a good home and will be loved," Rigger said.

"You need to be an adult about this Beth. Now, say your goodbyes. You have a deal Mr. Rigger."

"Excellent. He'll be very happy at my farm. I have lots of land for him to run and graze on and a little girl who will be his best friend," Rigger lied.

Kwame could not stand it any longer.

"WAIT, DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM. THIS MAN IS LYING," Kwame yelled as he ran up to the group.

"Who are you?" The father asked.

"This guy again! He's crazy. I outbid him for a horse earlier and now he's trying to sabotage all my sales," Rigger said.

"He is lying to you again. This man has over 10 horses loaded into a double-decker trailer. He's buying them here and selling them to slaughter. That is where your horse will end up," Kwame explains.

"Daddy!"

"Is that true?" The older man asks.

"Nope, nope. I told you…this guy is nuts. He's making stuff up."

"If you follow me, I can show you," Kwame offers.

"You know what, forget it. I don't need this. If you don't believe me, you can keep your horse, I'll keep my money. Good luck in school kid," Rigger says as he rushes away.

"If you need to find a safe home for your horse, there are shelters that will take him and adopt him out to a GOOD home. You can trust them to place him in the perfect place. And who knows, maybe when you finish school, you will get to visit him," Kwame says.

"Thank you!" Beth says as she hugs Kwame.

"You are welcome. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to follow that man to make sure he does not try to deceive anyone else."

Just then, Ma-Ti contacts Kwame,

"Kwame, Gi has found something. In 2001, a law was passed that made it illegal to haul horses in Double-Decker trailers in Pennsylvania. The police are on their way."

"Well they better hurry. I just caught Rigger trying to con someone into selling him their horse. I think he is getting ready to leave," Kwame says.

"I see him. Hurry Kwame. Meet us back at the Geo Cruiser. We will have it ready to fly and follow him."

"How are the horses?"

"I was able to calm them. They are still uncomfortable, but I was also able to get some food and water to them through the slots in the trailer."

"Good."

Kwame arrived at the Geo Cruiser just in time to see Rigger pulling away.

"Hurry Kwame!" Ma-Ti yells as Gi fires up the engines.

Kwame jumps in the Geo Cruiser and they take off. They spot Rigger's trailer and prepare for a long night of following him.

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE CAN'T SEE HIM TODAY?"

"Wheeler, calm down."

"I mean, the Senator is booked for the rest of the day. He has other appointments already scheduled and meetings," the secretary said. "I can squeeze you in tomorrow afternoon at 1:15."

"1:15? ARE YOU KIDDING?"

"No, sir. I'm completely serious."

"1:15 is fine," Linka said. "I apologize for my friend. It is just…we have something very important we need to discuss with the Senator. Time is important."

"That's what they all say," the secretary says under her breath.

"Do you believe that? We come all this way and don't even get to talk to our number one guy? That's bull!"

"Wheeler, I am not going to tell you again, CALM DOWN. You are making us look bad. We need to be professional and courteous in our conversations."

"C'mon Babe, it was just a secretary."

"That secretary has a direct connection to the Senator. She can tell him what a jerk you are or she can tell him what a gentleman you are…Which do you want?"

"Ok, ok, I see your point. I'll apologize."

Wheeler walks back over to the secretary's desk and turns on the charm,

"I'm sorry about losing my cool. It's just…horses, an American icon, are being slaughtered for food, and there's a bill that would stop it. I want to get that bill passed," he says as he sits on the corner of her desk.

"You mean like being killed to make dog food?" she asks.

"No, people are eating them…rich people. Isn't that awful…" Wheeler picks up the nameplate on her desk "…Amanda?" He looks down at her and smiles.

"Yes, it's horrible…and my friends call me Mandy," she says flirtatiously.

"Does that mean I'm your friend?" He asks, also in a flirtatious tone.

"Sure. I mean, you seem nice. Plus it's always nice meeting new people. And usually, the only people I see coming through here are old men. And they're always trying to flirt with me. And I'm all, 'eeew. I'm 23.' These guys are old enough to be my dad. Gross right?"

"Totally. I'm 23 too. My name's Jason by the way, but my friends call me Wheeler," he says as he offers her his hand.

"Why Wheeler?" she asks.

"It's my last name."

"Well if your friend's call you Wheeler, who calls you Jason?"

"My family...and girls that I date."

"Maybe I can call you 'Jason' while you're in town?"

"Yeah, maybe. But If I don't get to see the Senator, there's really no point in me staying in DC. I'll probably be heading home later today."

"Bozhe Moy," Linka whispers to herself as she rolls her eyes.

"You know, once the Senator is done with his current appointment, you may be able to speak to him for a few minutes between appointments," Mandy says.

"Really? That'd be great."

"Wheeler, can I talk to you," Linka asks.

"In a minute, Babe. I'm busy right now."

"NOW."

"Excuse me Mandy," he says as he slides off the corner of her desk and goes over towards Linka.

"What? I was really making some progress."

"I said be nice, not flirt! What part of 'act like a professional' do you not understand?! Your behavior is inappropriate."

"Hey, are you…jealous?" Wheeler teases.

"NYET!"

Just then, the door opens and none other than Hoggish Greedly emerges.

"GREEDLY?!" They exclaim.

"I figured you Planet punks would show up. Lucky for me, they sent the dumb one and the Commie who can't even speak English! No one will take you seriously!" Greedly snorted.

"Don't talk to her like that you overgrown pork chop! You're the one that should be slaughtered and served up on a plate. You give pigs a bad name Porky! She's the most stubborn person I know and she never backs down from an argument. And when she has something important to say, no one says it better than her! When she's done, you're going to wish she never came here," Wheeler said to Greedly through clenched teeth.

"And Wheeler is the most passionate person I know. Once he sets his sights on something, he will not quit until he gets it. This is no different. He will not quit until he wins…and neither will I," Linka promises.

The Senator comes out to see what all the commotion is.

"Amanda, what's going on?" He asks.

"These two have something very important they'd like to talk to you about sir. Your next appointment hasn't shown up yet. Do you think you can talk to them for a minute?"

"I suppose. But as soon as my next appointment arrives, I have to take it. I don't want to get behind."

"We understand sir. Thank you for taking the time to talk to us," Linka says.

"You're wasting your time Planet Brats. I've already talked to the Senator," Greedly says.

"And I've listened to you. Now it's their turn to talk…so go ahead."

"Whatever that…THING over there told you, don't believe it. He's a liar who will say anything to make money and destroy the environment," Wheeler says.

"This doesn't even have anything to do with the environment Eco Geek."

"Like hell it doesn't!"

Linka steps in and takes over before Wheeler's temper gets him in trouble

"What my friend here means to say is, in the city of Kaufman, Texas, people living in a neighborhood near the Dallas Crown horse slaughter plant would beg to differ. While the Dallas Crown horse slaughter plant was in operation their daily life was spent dealing with the problems this plant burdened them with, such as blood backing up into their bathtubs due to the slaughterhouse overwhelming the city's sewer system, rat and vermin infestations, and the stench generated by the plant while it operated. Due to these, and numerous other health code violations the city of Kaufman responded by declaring the plant a nuisance and ordered them to close in 2006."

"Yeah, and then there's the issue of American horsemeat not being fit for human consumption. Horses are not regulated as food animals in the United States. Almost all horse owners regularly treat their horses with de-wormers, pain killers, and fly sprays, plus there's the usual vaccinations and inoculations. These drugs are clearly labeled 'Not For Use On Animals Raised For Food.' Meat tainted with these products can cause some pretty nasty long term side effects in people, such as cancer. The government knows this, which is why Federal regulations forbid that these products to be used on beef cattle, chickens, or pigs…but Greedly, if you wanna use products that cause cancer, go right ahead."

Linka pulls him aside.

"Wheeler…do not stoop to his level," she warns. "You make yourself look bad and less credible."

"Sorry Babe." Wheeler turned back to the Senator and continued,

"Since there are no regulations to prevent these drugs from being given to slaughter bound horses, it is very likely that contaminated meat is being shipped to Asia and Europe as we speak. If they knew what we were sending them, that could have a huge negative impact on foreign relations, right?"

"Yes, of course. It would be no different than China sending us tainted pet food or toys with high levels of lead," the Senator offers.

"No one has gotten sick. So obviously, it's not an issue. Besides, ending horse slaughter in America would have a negative impact on the economy. You don't want that do you Senator?" Greedly asks.

"That's a lie and you know it Miss Piggy! The live horse industry contributes far more to the nation's economy than the horse slaughter industry. The live horse industry contributes 39 BILLION in direct economic impacts to the US economy. The horse slaughter industry claims a paltry 40 million (roughly 1 percent of the live horse industry); however, most of that profit is siphoned overseas to foreign stakeholders. As far as tax contributions go, the live horse industry contributes 1.9 billion dollars; while in comparison, the Dallas Crown Company paid a measly 5 dollars in 2004. How did they manage that? They made 12 million dollars, but only had to pay 5 bucks in taxes? Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you pay taxes based on earnings? I paid way more than 5 bucks, but made WAAAAAAAY less than 12 million."

"Another point is that for years, American taxpayer dollars were spent to cover the expense to have a USDA inspector on site in these plants. That is right; YOUR taxpayer dollars were spent to have the USDA inspect a product which is not even sold in your country."

"Really? I was unaware of this," the Senator admitted. "I will definitely want that looked into. But one concern I have, something that has been brought to my attention by the pro-slaughter side and the American Veterinary Medical Association, is that ending slaughter will result in an over population of horses and lead to more abandonment and abuse of the animals. No one wants to see them suffer by being abandoned and left to starve, right?"

"That is just more misinformation and the same old excuse used by the American Quarter Horse Association and the AVMA. Those are the only arguments that they can come up with. Instead of looking at the facts and realizing that they are WRONG, they refuse to admit it. They seem to think that if they keep repeating it, it will become true. The favored argument of the AVMA and AQHA is that if horse slaughter is banned, horse welfare will suffer in the form of abandoned horses and horse neglect. They fail to take into consideration USDA statistics that show that their dire claims have not happened in the past. Instead, these statistics show a business driven by supply and demand rather than unwanted horses," Linka said.

"So you're saying that ending slaughter will not result in unwanted horses?" The Senator asks.

"Absolutely not," Linka continues. "According to the USDA, there was a sharp decline in the number of US horses slaughtered during the 1990s. There were 345,700 horses slaughtered for export in 1990; 10 years later in 2000, that number was 50,400. During this timeframe the number of horses slaughtered per year dropped by as many as 79,000. California banned horse slaughter and saw no increase in the number of abandoned horses. When the Cavel Slaughterhouse in Dekalb Illinois burned down and was not operating, once again, there was no increase in reports of 'unwanted horses.' We did not see newspaper articles telling tales of starving abandoned horses."

Wheeler picks up where Linka left off,

"Fast forward to now. Since 2002, there has been a steady rise in the amount of horses slaughtered in the US. In 2007, more than 120,000 American horses have been slaughtered for export to France, Belgium, and other countries where horsemeat is popular. This is because of increased demand. I just read an article that said that France was worried because the US is a big part of their supply. Chef's in France are trying to get more people to start cooking with horsemeat by targeting them with monthly recipe suggestions. It is estimated that in 2007, the demand for horsemeat increased by 3 percent. Through clever marketing, these chef's are increasing demand."

"See, there's a need for it because people are willing to pay for it. Why not make money off them?" Greedly argues.

"Shut up Greedly! You had your turn," Linka blasts. She composes herself and carries on. "Since there has been increased overseas demand for horsemeat, the slaughterhouses had to supply that demand. If America had an abundance of horses to slaughter, that should have been an easy demand to meet, correct?"

"Yes, one would think," the Senator says.

"Well, according to USDA records, horses were often imported FROM Canada INTO the US for slaughter to fill that demand," Linka states.

"Really?"

Wheeler reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper.

"Check this out Senator, I wrote down the number of horses imported into the US from Canada for slaughter. In 2005, 7,865 horses; 2006 - 4,022; 2007 - 2,488. How can there be an 'unwanted horse problem' if the slaughterhouses have to IMPORT them from Canada? I would love to see the AVMA and AQHA respond to this question." Wheeler turns to Greedly, "How 'bout you Pork Chop? Got a response to that one?"

Greedly says nothing. So Linka continues,

"The statistics do not lie. Horse slaughter is not being used to 'save unwanted horses' from neglect as the AVMA and AQHA want you to believe. The statistics show that the only reason that the horse slaughter industry exists in the United States is to make a huge profit by satisfying Europe and Asia's appetite for American horsemeat."

"Anytime the pro-slaughter side is confronted with quotes and statistics showing that horse slaughter has nothing to do with horse welfare, they really can't respond properly…kinda like Wilbur over here," Wheeler says.

"Wilbur?" Greedly asks.

"Yeah, the pig from Charlotte's Web…keep up lard ass …Pro-Slaughter has a PR group which does nothing to answer questions or respond to arguments, they just constantly repeat their claims, as if saying them repetitively and loudly enough times makes them factual."

"But I have been sent articles that talk about abandoned horses running wild and destroying property, so clearly this is an issue which concerns me."

Linka picked up the argument there,

"It is not beneath the pro-slaughter side to make up fake stories of abandoned horses running wild. It just proves the lack of morals and the lengths they will go to in an attempt to win. Last year, there were a number of articles on the Associated Press newswire claiming that there were abandoned horses running loose. One article even quoted a police officer regarding nine new cases of abandonment; however, when the group 'Veterinarians for Equine Welfare' contacted the officer, the story he told was completely different than the claims that were made in the article."

"A similar story also appeared in a Kentucky newspaper, but that story was also exposed as a hoax. You're just as likely to find a picture of Big Foot as you are to find a herd of abandoned horses. Since the pro-horse slaughter side has to make up stories to make their points, they have lost all credibility. An intelligent person should not believe them when they say this country needs horse slaughter to 'save' horses from abuse," Wheeler added.

"But think of all the money we could make by selling horsemeat to other countries. Why not open an American run slaughterhouse instead of allowing foreign owned slaughterhouses to operate here. You said it yourself Firebug, the foreign owned slaughterhouses aren't paying enough in taxes. If the foreign owned slaughterhouses are making 12 million dollars, then an American owned slaughterhouse could do just as well, AND have to pay taxes. Thanks for the info Pyro-teer!" Greedly sneered.

"Actually, in a 112 billion dollar horse industry, a LIVE horse is a consumer. They need food, water, minerals, salt, shoeing, hay, and people buy clothes, land, fences, trailers, and trucks. The horse, by being ALIVE, is creating many, many dollars," Wheeler countered.

"This has all been very eye opening. If you could fax me this information and the websites you got it from, I would like to sit down and review it before addressing the issue on the floor. I suggest that you do the same to other Senators."

"We will do that. Thank you," Linka says.

"Yeah, thanks. You know Senator, here's one more thing for you to consider, I may not be the smartest person in this room, or the best at public speaking, and I know I let my temper get the best of me and I come across as a hot head, but this comes straight from the heart. There's a saying that goes 'the truth shall set you free.' Those of us that are fighting to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act have no need to lie or make up stories. The facts are clearly on our side. These facts are true and cannot be disputed. The pro-slaughter side is likely to continue spouting their lies and myths, but they never give a shred of proof to back up their claims. What Linka and I are doing is simple, to continue spreading the truth. Horse slaughter is an UN-necessary evil that has NO PLACE in the United States of America."

"Thank you for your time Senator," Linka says as they leave the office.

"Thank you sir," Wheeler says as he extends his hand. Then he turns to Mandy, "And thank you for your help."

"You're welcome," She says as she shakes his hand and places something in his palm.

Wheeler walks out of the office and unfolds the piece of paper as he meets Linka in the hall.

"What is that?" She asks.

"I'm guessing it's Mandy's phone number," he replies.

"Oh. Are you going to call her?"

"Nah, what's the point? It's not like we're going to be sticking around," he says as he tosses the piece of paper into the trash. "Besides, she's not my type."

"Oh really? I thought your only requirement for 'type' was 'single female.'"

"Who said they had to be single?" Wheeler joked.

"Very funny Yankee."

"And for your information, I DO have a type and I'm VERY picky."

"So what is your type then?"

"Don't you know by now?" He asks as he leans against the wall and looks her straight in the eyes.

"I…uh. Well…I guess, um…"

Just then, Greedly walks out into the hall and stops when he sees his foes.

"This isn't over. It's gonna take months to get this bill voted on and passed if they even decide to bring it to the floor. In the meantime, I'll be making thousands of dollars and eating all the horsemeat I can and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"Go ahead. I meant what I said in there Greedly. Eat all you want. I hope you get sick," Wheeler said as he grabbed Greedly by the collar and threw him against the wall. Two security guards who were patrolling the halls were immediately on top of him and pulling him off.

"Wheeler!" Linka yelled.

"Nice try Pyro, but you don't have the guts you hippy," Greedly taunted.

"I'll fry you, you son of a bitch! I'll turn you into the biggest pork rind ever you giant sack of…"

"Sir, calm down or you'll be placed under arrest."

"Wheeler, please. I need you to calm down. I need you with me on this, not in jail," Linka pleaded as she grabbed his arm and held his ring hand until he stopped aiming it at Greedly and glaring at him and looked at her instead.

"Alright, alright. I'm cool."

"Miss, I need you to get your boyfriend out of here."

"Yes officer. We are leaving," she said as she led Wheeler away by the arm.

As they walked down the stairs of the Capitol Building, Linka was the first to speak,

"Nice work in there Yankee…except for the part where you almost got arrested! We really do need to work on your temper."

"Sorry. I know, that guy just gets to me though. But you did a good job too, Babe. I think we won that battle. I couldn't help but notice though, when that cop called me your boyfriend, you didn't correct him…why?"

"Wheeler, Linka?" Ma-Ti's voice echoed through their minds.

"Ma-Ti! How are things going?" Linka asked, thankful for the interruption.

"Good but not good. We found Rigger. He is doing horrible things. We are following his trailer. We were in Pennsylvania and we figured he would be going to Canada, but he is heading south. So we are assuming he is going to Mexico, unless he is just trying to lose us. Either way, we are going to be here for a while. You will have to stay in DC until we are done, unless you can find another way home. It does not look like we will be stopping anytime soon."

"Ok Ma-Ti. We will find a place to stay. It works out. Now we will have another day to spend getting in to see the politicians," Linka says.


	3. Our Eyes Are Closed to the Horrors

This is the point where I started writing again after quitting on the fic. Originally, I wanted to try and do something true to the show and not just turning it into a Wheeler and Linka hookup, but let's face it, that's what everyone wants, and that's the reason I started writing CP fic anyways, to give the fans what we didn't get to see on the show! Plus, it just writes itself into the plot most times. And all the boring politics are out of the way, and now the action begins.

Wheeler and Linka did not anticipate how hard it would be to find a hotel.

"Sorry sir, we are completely booked and have had no cancellations," the receptionist apologizes.

"Geez, you're our fourth try. We're going to end up at some roach motel. Any idea what's going on?"

"We had rooms blocked off for a grassroots lobbyist group that is in town for a few days," the receptionist explains.

"That must be it," Linka says. "Gaia said that the American's Against Horse Slaughter were going to be here."

"Well, Gaia should have thought about making hotel reservations!" Wheeler complained.

"You might have better luck looking on the outskirts of DC. There's always shuttle service or the subway close by to get you back to the capital," the receptionist suggested.

"Thank you. We will try that," Linka says.

* * *

They took the receptionist's advice, but were still having a hard time.

"Well, they're a dedicated group, that's for sure. I guess it's a good sign that so many of them came here. If we don't have any luck at this one, we'll have to go further north I guess."

"Then let us hope we find a room. I am getting hungry and tired," Linka says.

Wheeler walked up to the front desk and said,

"PLEASE tell me you have two rooms available tonight. We've been all over looking for a place to stay."

The man typed a few things into the computer.

"I'm sorry. I only have one room available."

"Crap. Thanks anyways…."

"We'll take it," Linka says.

"What?!" Wheeler was shocked.

"I am tired, I am hungry, and I am done looking all over for a room. We are adults…well, I am anyways…we can stay in the same room without being overcome by raging hormones as if we are teenagers…once again, at least I can."

"Hey, I can behave too!" Wheeler exclaimed.

"Good."

"I just didn't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"It is not like we have to share a bed or anything…just a room. As long as you remember to put the seat down on the toilet, everything will be fine."

"Actually Miss, there's only one full bed in the room."

"What?!" They said simultaneously.

"Is that going to be a problem?" the man asked.

"No."

"Yes!"

"What's wrong Babe? Don't think you can control your raging hormones around me? I can behave…can you?"

"Of course I can! I just think it is inappropriate. We are working."

"Geez, you act like we're business people off on a corporate business trip. We live on a beach and wear jeans and shorts and t-shirts to work…you don't get anymore casual than that!"

"If you'd like, I can arrange to have a cot sent to your room," the man offered.

"Yes! That would be great. Thank you."

"Yeah. Thanks alot buddy," Wheeler said under his breath as he shot the man a nasty glare.

"Do you have any bags?" the man asked.

"No. This was kind of a last minute need to stay overnight. Is there anywhere around here that we can pick up a few things? Toothbrushes, toothpaste, hairbrushes, deodorant, pajamas…" Wheeler asks.

"There's a strip mall a few blocks down the street. You should be able to pick up the things you need there. There's also some restaurants."

"Thank you," Linka says.

* * *

They make their trip to the store and get some dinner. They return to the hotel and go to their room. After a relaxing dinner, they are ready to get back to work. Linka takes a seat on the bed and boots up her laptop.

"The Humane Society has an undercover video that shows a horse being slaughtered. I do not want to watch it…but maybe we should. So we can see for ourselves what goes on and that what we are saying is true. Then we can show it to the Senators so they will see how inhumane it is."

"Yeah. I guess. I'm ready when you are."

Wheeler sits next to Linka on the bed as she pushes the 'Play' button. They watch in horror as a horse is loaded into a small metal cubicle. He does what comes natural…gets scared and tries to escape. A man aims a bolt gun at the horses head, the horse pulls away, squealing in fear, the gun is fired, the horse goes down, wounded, but not unconscious because the shot missed it's mark. He gets back up and is shot in the head again. Now his cries are of pain, but he is still not unconscious. The door of the box opens and the horse is pushed out. There are men laughing as the horse tries unsuccessfully to stand, but just keeps falling. Now they are attaching something to his leg. A machine lifts the horse up by one leg. One of the men holds a bucket under the horses head as the other slits its throat. The horse thrashes about until eventually, he stops. The machine then moves the horse down the line where he will be gutted, skinned, and filleted.

When the video ends, Linka closes the laptop as tears start to fall. Wheeler wants to comfort her, but is afraid to move for fear that he will no longer be able to fight the nausea that threatens to overcome him. He loses that battle and bolts for the bathroom.

Linka waits a few minutes before going to him. She knocks on the door and pushes it open.

"Wheeler, are you ok?"

"No. I didn't throw up though, just dry heaves."

Linka sat on the edge of the bathtub and placed a hand on Wheeler's back.

"That was horrible. In all the things we have seen as Planeteers, that was possibly the worst," she said.

"I know. How…how could those men do that? How could they be so heartless? Do they go home after work covered in blood? Do they sit down to dinner with their families and talk about what a great day they had at work? Do they have kids? Do their kids know what their dads do every day?"

"Sssh, do not think about it," Linka says as she moves to kneel next to him and hugs him. She holds his head against her and beings to rock when he starts to cry. She soon joins him as she lets the tears fall. He wraps his arms around her. She doesn't know what compels her to do it, but she kisses the side of his head. Maybe it's because that's what her father used to do when he would comfort her after one of her birds died in the mines. At least their deaths were justified. They were saving lives. There is nothing that will justify the brutal way in which these horses were being killed.

Wheeler reluctantly pulled away to look up at Linka, but still held on to her. Under normal circumstances, Wheeler would be savoring every moment that Linka actually allowed them to be close like this, she wasn't pushing him away, but this was different. He wasn't even thinking about making flirtatious remarks or capitalizing on this rare close moment. They were both overly emotional and vulnerable right now. Right now, he just wanted to let her know that he appreciated her attempt at comforting him.

"Thanks," he says.

"You are welcome," she whispers tenderly.

From his position kneeling on the floor in front of Linka, who is once again perched on the edge of the bathtub, Wheeler makes a bold, yet completely uncalculated move, to lay his head on her lap. Linka's automatic reaction is to put her hand on his head and caress his messy red hair. She tries to tame his wild locks. It's softer than she expected.

"Do you still feel sick?" She asks.

"Every time I close my eyes, I see images from that video," he confesses.

Linka doesn't respond to him. She removes her hands from his hair and places them on his upper arms, which are still wrapped around her waist. Wheeler misunderstands her meaning and begins to pull away, but she stops him by resting her arms on his shoulders and intertwining her fingers behind his neck. Wheeler looks into her eyes and smiles. This was nice, but he wasn't going to be presumptuous and make a move. Doing so could ruin a nice moment and make the rest of the trip awkward. Plus, he didn't want it to seem like he was taking advantage of her kindness.

Linka smiled back at him. They stayed like that for a while longer, composing themselves from the horrors they just witnessed. Linka was also having a hard time getting the images out of her head. Why wasn't Wheeler making a move, she wondered. They had never shared a tender moment like this before. She was surprised by how comfortable she felt being this close to him. Any other time, she would tense up and put up barriers. Tonight was different. Tonight, _**WHEELER**_ was different. He wasn't being cocky or obnoxious. He was being _real_. Linka knew there was more to him; she just seldom gets to see it. When she did get a glimpse of it though, she liked what she saw. Linka was playing with the wisps of hair at the base of Wheeler's neck when she slowly leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to his.

It ended all too soon for Wheeler as Linka pulled away. When he opened his eyes, he saw her staring back at him with her head cocked to the side and a smile on her face. Wheeler smiled back and said,

"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?"

"What did you see when you closed your eyes just now?" she asks

"Nothing."

"Exactly."

"Oh…Thanks…For everything. For coming here with me and backing me up on this and for being there for me in my…moment of weakness."

"Wheeler, showing emotion and being upset over seeing such cruelty is not a sign of weakness. It shows you are human…which is more than we can say for the people who support this act of brutality. You are more of a man than they will ever be," she says.

"That means alot coming from you. I'm just glad we're on the same side for once!"

"We are Planeteers; we are always on the same side silly."

"No, I mean, it seems like we always disagree. Whether it be on how to go about handling a situation or the importance of different environmental issues…it's like, we never agree on things. It's just nice that we're not fighting for once."

"Do they not say, 'opposite's attract?'" Linka asks.

"Yeah, that's how the saying goes."

"Well, there you go. If we did not disagree, we would be bored with each other. Besides, I like fighting with you. It is fun."

"It is?"

"Da. It keeps things interesting. Also, it makes moments like this, these rare serious moments, more special."

"I never thought of it like that. But that's another thing we agree on."

"What is that?" She asks.

Wheeler placed his hands on the edge of the tub on each side of her hips and leaned forward a little, "This moment, what just happened…that was special…to me anyways."

"Da, it was for me too."

"Good," he said as he tentatively leaned closer and kissed her cheek. He pulled away slightly and lingered there a little longer than necessary, trying to build up the courage to do what he really wanted to do.

Linka made the decision for him by turning her head just a bit so that her lips met his. Wheeler deepened the kiss and pulled her closer as they both stood up. When they parted, Linka took his hands in hers and gave them a squeeze.

"We should get back out there and get more information gathered. We must be as educated as possible so that we can be prepared for all possible arguments," she says.

"Yeah, but no more videos…and let's try to limit the amount of pictures."

"Agreed," Linka says as she leads him by the hand towards the door.

"Fireworks," Wheeler says as he stops suddenly, jolting Linka to a stop.

"What?"

"Fireworks. It's what I saw when I closed my eyes last time."

"Really? That is so cliché Yankee!"

"Nah, it's romantic!"

"No it is not. It is too predictable to be romantic!"

"Well, it's more romantic than what I really saw."

"Which was…?" She asked.

"I was totally picturing you naked," he teased.

"WHEELER!" She exclaimed as she smacked him across the chest.

"Ow! Hey, I'm kidding! I'm kidding! See, you shouldn't have made fun of the fireworks."

"Well, at least I know now you are feeling better. Obnoxious and immature."

"And I know you're feeling better because you're uptight and can't take a joke."

Of course, neither one of them meant what they said. It was their way of acknowledging that nothing had changed between them, but at the same time, EVERYTHING had changed between them. They sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard while looking over different anti-slaughter and horse rescue websites and came up with possible scenarios and arguments to use in their meetings with Senators and Representatives.

"It is getting late. We should probably get some sleep," Linka suggests.

"Yeah, but uhhh, they never brought that cot for me to sleep on."

"Oh. I did not even notice. I guess we were too busy."

"I'll call the front desk and have it sent up."

There was no answer though.

"Well, it looks like I'm sleeping on the floor. Hopefully there's some extra blankets in the closet," Wheeler said.

"Nyet, I will not sleep knowing you are uncomfortable. It is not a big deal. We can both use the bed."

"Are you sure Babe?"

"Da."

"Ok. Thanks. And to show my appreciation, I'm gonna let you have the first shot at the shower tonight."

"Wow. That is very nice of you," she says sarcastically.

"It's the least I can do."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Linka emerges from the bathroom drying her hair with a towel.

"It is all yours," she says to Wheeler.

"Thanks. This may not be the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at, but at least they've got free Cinemax!" He says as he hands her the remote.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asks.

Wheeler smiles back at her as he closes the door. When Linka turns to look at the TV, she covers her eyes and yells,

"WHEELER!"

He just chuckled to himself as he turned on the shower. He needed a good laugh after the day they've had.

* * *

When he comes out of the bathroom, Linka is standing in front of the dresser mirror and brushing her hair. It's longer than he thought it would be. He rarely sees it styled any other way than pulled up in a ponytail. Wheeler can't help but notice how cute she looks in something as simple as the cotton shorts and t-shirt that she bought as pajamas.

When she turned around, she also noticed how good he looks in the sweatpants that he bought for his sleepwear. The way they hung low around his hips was hard not to notice. The fact that he was shirtless did not go unnoticed either. And his hair was a mess. He was definitely an attractive man. Linka began to re-think whether or not sharing a bed was a good idea after all.

"So, what side of the bed do you usually sleep on?" Wheeler asked.

"Uhh, the right," Linka said, trying to stay focused.

"Good. I always sleep on the left, so that works."

"Once again, we are opposites," Linka points out.

"Yeah, but once again, it works out," he replies as he pulls down the covers and crawls in.

"Da, I guess so," she says as she takes her side.

They both lay on their back with their hands folded across their stomachs. Both look awkward and uncomfortable.

"Are you sure this is ok Babe? I mean, are you comfortable?"

"Nyet…but not because of you. Usually I lay on my side to fall asleep."

"ME TOO! This whole, laying on my back thing just ain't workin'!"

"Da, me neither."

They both turn on their sides, Wheeler turns onto his right, and she turns onto her left side so they end up facing each other."

"Figures. Opposites AGAIN," she laughs.

"Yeah. This ain't so bad either though," he says as he smiles at her.

"We made alot of progress today," she says.

Wheeler wonders if she's talking about with S.311, with each other, or both.

"Yeah we did."

"That was pretty clever of you, flirting with the receptionist to get in to see the Majority Leader."

"Well, you gotta do what'cha gotta do. Plus, I'm good at it…or at least I thought I was. I thought I was losing my touch, but I guess I still got it!"

"I guess so."

They laid there in silence for a few minutes, unable to close their eyes and fall asleep. Wheeler put his arm across her waist and rested his hand on the small of her back.

"Is this ok?" he asks.

"Da," she says, as she suddenly feels more relaxed.

"What about this?" He asks as he uses his other hand to push a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Da." She also feels like she needs to do something with her hands, so she lays her arm across his waist, much like he did to her.

"And this?" He asks as he kisses her cheek.

"Umm Hmm" She finally feels relaxed enough to close her eyes.

She opens them slightly when she feels his lips brush against hers, once, then twice, then finally more firmly. She allows her eyes to close again as she moves closer to him and kisses him back.

"Wheeler…" she says as she pulls back slightly.

"No?" he asks, his lips still so close to hers, they brush against them when he speaks.

She wanted to say no, to tell him that this wasn't ok…but she couldn't. Not yet. She closes the small distance between them as they continue kissing. When she rolls over onto her back and he follows, she places her hand on his chest and pulls away.

"Wheeler, we cannot. Not here. Not like this."

"I know. I know. I'm sorry. I have more respect for you than that," he says, slightly out of breath.

Linka chuckles, "I know you do," she says sincerely as she strokes his cheek.

"I mean, we haven't even had a real date. I wanna do this right cuz I don't wanna ruin it. There's been so many times when we were close to getting to this point, but never quite made it. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to make it work."

"That is all I need to know," she says as she brushes away the lock of hair hanging over his eyes. She closes her eyes and says, "Goodnight Yankee."

"Goodnight Babe. Sorry I couldn't behave myself like I promised I would."

"It is ok…I knew you could not do it!"

He smiles as he closes his eyes and pulls her closer to him so that his chin rests on top of her head. He knew he couldn't do it either.


	4. A New Day, A New Challenge

"Ma-Ti, wake up. Rigger is stopping," Kwame says as he shakes Ma-Ti's arm.

"He must be stopping to sleep," Gi says.

"Where are we?" Ma-Ti asks.

"Tennessee, just getting ready to cross over into Arkansas," Gi answers.

"Gi, put it down on that hillside. I am sure Rigger knows we are following him, but we should still stay out of sight," Kwame orders.

"Perhaps when he lets the horses out to feed and water them, I can contact them and tell them to run for it," Ma-Ti suggests.

"Good idea," Kwame says.

They wait for a long time, but Rigger makes no move to let the horses out, or even to feed and water them. He gets out of the trailer to relieve himself, then climbs back in. An hour passes and it seems as though Rigger has indeed fallen asleep in the cab of the trailer.

"Ma-Ti, are you rested enough that you can stay up and keep an eye on Rigger?"

"Yes," Ma-Ti replies.

"Good. Gi and I will sleep then. Wake us up if anything happens."

"Ok, but should we not try and do something while he is asleep?"

"No, you heard what he said, if we try to free the horses, he will have us arrested for stealing," Kwame says. "And DO NOT try anything while we are asleep."

"Ok. I will not. But it is very hard for me to sit around and do nothing when I know how scared, hungry, thirsty, and uncomfortable those horses are."

"I know Ma-Ti. It's hard for all of us to watch. We'll figure something out," Gi reassures him.

* * *

Hours later, as the sun began to rise, Ma-Ti saw Rigger emerge from the cab of the trailer.

"Gi, Kwame, wake up! Rigger is up. I think he may be getting ready to let the horses out."

The three Planeteers watched as Rigger walks around to the back of the trailer and bangs on the doors. They could hear the cries of the horses as they were startled. They could hear the horses struggle and kick the sides of the trailer, and probably each other. Rigger did not attempt to feed or water the horses. The only reason he got out of the trailer was to go to the bathroom. He got back into the trailer and started it up.

"Let's go!" Gi shouts as they board the Geo Cruiser and prepare to follow Rigger and the horses down to Mexico.

* * *

When Linka wakes up, something feels out of place. She soon recognizes that she is not in her bed, and remembers that she and Wheeler are in DC. A memory of Wheeler kissing her quickly flashes through her mind. In her groggy state of mind, she struggles with the reality of it. Did it really happen or was it just a dream? The more she questioned it, the more her mind woke up and she became aware that her hand was clutching something…another hand…not hers. There was an arm draped over her and the attached hand was splayed across her abdomen.

"Good morning," a raspy voice said from behind her.

She rolled over and smiled. It wasn't a dream.

"Good morning."

"Ready to kick some ass today?"

"Wheeler, I told you; do not let Greedly trick you into losing your cool! He is trying to get you in trouble."

"No, not literally. I mean it as a figure of speech. You know, go round up some more Senator's and get some co-sponsors. Kick some pro-slaughter ass."

"Oh. Da. I am ready."

"Then let's get dressed and start roaming the halls of the capital."

"That is, if they will allow us in after your little 'outburst' yesterday."

"Yeeeeeeah. My bad. I'll behave, I promise."

"Hmmm, where have I heard that before? Oh, that's right, last night," Linka teased, recalling Wheeler's promise that he would be on his best behavior and that sharing a room would not lead to anything.

"I can't help it. I'm passionate about my work…and beautiful women. So put me in a situation that is driven by emotions, and then on top of that, put me in a room with a woman who drives my emotions….that's just askin' for trouble."

"You certainly have an answer for everything, I cannot argue with that," Linka says as she slides out of bed and walks over to the mini kitchen to see if the motel has provided anything to make coffee with.

"Wow, that's a first," Wheeler says.

"What is?"

"_**YOU**_ not arguing with me!"

"Funny. Hey, there is nothing for coffee. Does this place have room service?"

"I doubt it," he says as he grabs the pamphlet on the nightstand. "It does have a continental breakfast though."

"That works."

Once again, Wheeler lets Linka use the bathroom first. It doesn't take her long to brush her teeth, get dressed, and pull her hair back. Wheeler is next and as soon as he is finished in the bathroom, he walks up to Linka and surprises her with a kiss.

"Not that I did not enjoy it, but what was that for?" She asks.

"Well, I wanted to do it this morning, but had to brush my teeth first! You know how on TV and movies, people will kiss first thing in the morning? I never got that. Kinda gross if you ask me."

Linka laughed and shook her head.

"What?" he asks.

"Nothing. I just never thought about it like that. I guess I just always thought that when two people are in love, they do not consider such things. Plus it is TV, so they were not really just waking up from hours of sleep, and they probably ate alot of mints before anyways!"

"Oh. Right…note to self…stock up on mints for next time."

"Next time, eh?"

"I…umm, I mean…**IF** this ever…well, you just never know when we'll have a hard time finding hotel rooms, so…you know. I'll be prepared."

"Wheeler…I am teasing."

"Oh, ha…ha-ha. Pretty stupid, huh?"

"Nyet. Pretty sweet," she says as she kisses him on the cheek. "And in the future, I will not mind 'morning breath' if you do not mind!"

The smile on Wheeler's face stretched for miles…or kilometers, however you chose to measure long units. It was a big one.

"In the future? Sooo…does this mean you will be waking up next to me more often?"

"I will admit, it was not as uncomfortable sharing a bed as I thought it would be," she says.

"Good, cuz while we're admitting things, I'll admit, waking up with you in my arms felt so good. Like, for a brief moment, all was right with the world."

"Aww, Yankee. That is sweet. I liked it too…having your arms around me. If we did not have a job to do, I could have stayed in bed for hours."

Hearing that was very encouraging to Wheeler. They hadn't even done anything except sleep…not counting that moment of weakness he had where he couldn't stop himself from turning what he had intended to be a little snuggling and a goodnight kiss on the cheek into a passionate kiss.

"Me too," Wheeler wraps his arms around her and they stand there for a few moments, embracing each other. He pulls away slightly and raises her chin to look at him, just as their lips are about to meet, Ma-Ti breaks through, and they jump back,

"Wheeler, Linka…Kwame would like to speak to you, to see what is going on with your efforts. He wants you to set up your web cam on your laptop and call the Geo Cruiser," Ma-Ti says.

"Sure. Just give me a minute," Linka responds.

A few minutes later, Linka and Wheeler's faces appeared on the computer monitors in the Geo Cruiser. Likewise, Wheeler and Linka could now see Gi, Ma-Ti, and Kwame.

"What's up guys?" Wheeler asks.

"We're following Rigger to Mexico. We just crossed state lines into Texas," Gi said. "It's been a long trip. I've got the Geo Cruiser down to 35 percent power just to be slow enough to follow Rigger's trailer."

"I hope you do not mind Wheeler, but we have raided your secret snack stash," Kwame confesses.

"Not a problem man, help yourselves…I guess I didn't do such a good job of keeping it a secret though did I?!"

"You may have thought we were all sleeping when you snuck off to get your snacks Yankee, but the sound of crinkling wrappers and your crunching gave you away!" Linka laughs.

"Well, I'm glad it came in handy for you guys. Did you find the sodas?"

"There is soda?!" Ma-Ti asks.

"Yeah buddy. You know where we keep the cold packs for the first aid kits?"

"Yes."

"In there. Help yourselves. There's some water too."

"Thank you Wheeler!" Ma-Ti says as he disappears from view.

"So Ma-Ti tells us that you feel like you made some progress yesterday?" Kwame says.

"Da. We met with the Senate Majority Leader. Wheeler was very…persuasive in getting him to see us," Linka says as she elbows him playfully.

"And guess who was leaving the office while we were there? Greedly!"

"What was he doing there?" Kwame asks.

"He was trying to get the Senator to not be supportive of S.311, but I think we did a good job of making our point," Wheeler explained.

"Wheeler was fantastic!" Linka raved. "He had an answer for everything."

"Doesn't he always?" Gi teases.

"Da, but this time, it was…brilliant! He was convincing and strong; stubborn, yet tactful. All of the myths and lies that Greedly tried to spread, Wheeler told the truth," she said as she looked over at Wheeler, her eyes full of pride.

"Wow, he must have been good if Linka approves!" laughs Ma-Ti.

"You were pretty amazing too Babe," Wheeler says as he gazes back at her. Then, remembering they have an audience, turns back to the webcam. "And you shoulda heard Greedly. He was happy that it was me and Linka there because he thought that we wouldn't be as awesome as we were!"

"But we proved him wrong, and then when we were leaving, Greedly started provoking Wheeler and then…"

"Umm, Linka…they don't really need to know about that. So how about you guys? What's been going on?"

"It is horrible. What goes on at the auctions, the way the horses are treated and handled, it is sickening. And the lengths these…killer buyers will go to in order to get a horse…" Ma-Ti tried to explain.

"Yes, Rigger actually tried to pretend to be a man looking for a horse for his daughter and was promising a young lady that he would give her horse a loving home," Kwame continued.

"It is awful Wheeler. We have been following him this whole time and he stopped once to rest for a few hours. The horses are crammed inside this double-decker trailer, unable to lift their heads, scared to death, and have not been given any food or water the whole time."

"I know Ma-Ti. I've read all about it."

"But reading about it and seeing it are two different things. There is nothing we can do to stop him. I have tried my best to use my ring to calm them, but there is only so much I can do. I am scared for them, and they can sense my fear. It does little to calm them when they feel what I am feeling."

"Should we call Captain Planet?" Linka asks.

"We can't. Rigger already threatened us. He'll have us arrested for stealing if we try to free the horses," Gi says.

"How about once you cross into Mexico? Steal 'em then," Wheeler says.

"I am pretty sure stealing is STILL illegal in Mexico Yankee."

"Yeah, but the law enforcement has got to be a little more…laidback, wouldn't you think?"

"Nyet. I think ending up in a Mexican jail would be much worse than ending up in an American jail."

"Well, I think ending up in ANY kind of jail is not good," Kwame interrupts.

"We'll let you know when we arrive in Mexico. If we need to call Captain Planet, Ma-Ti will be in touch," Gi says.

"Ok. Good luck. Do what you can to save those horses. This has got to qualify as animal cruelty, and the last time I checked, THAT was illegal."

"Yeah, we almost had him in Pennsylvania because it is illegal to transport horses in double-decker trailers, but he took off before we had a chance to call the police. None of the other states he drove through have such laws."

"Wait a minute…can you see what kinda license plate his trailer has?"

"Sure. We can zoom in on the camera and…it's a blue, white, and yellow plate…kinda looks like a Visa card! I can't get a better shot, but it looks like it could say 'Pennsylvania.'" Gi exclaims.

"That's it! That's a PA plate! And leave it to you, to notice the similarities between a license plate and a credit card!" Wheeler says.

"What is the importance of the license plate Wheeler?" asks Kwame.

"If it's illegal to transport horses in double-decker trailers in Pennsylvania, then what's a truck with PA plates doing with horses in it? It'd say that's enough to get the authorities involved. Even if they can't convict him, they have to at least investigate and THAT gets the horses out of his trailer," Wheeler explains.

"Bozhe Moy Wheeler, you wonderful Yankee!!" Linka says as she throws her arms around Wheeler's neck and hugs him.

"Excellent work Wheeler," Kwame agrees.

"Thank you my friend! You may have saved these horses' lives!" Ma-Ti says.

"Good. I wish we could save them all, but I'm glad we could help these ones."

"Da, me too. We should get going though. We need to check out of the hotel, and then we have more Senators we want to meet with."

"Ok. We will do as Wheeler suggested and call the authorities," Kwame says. "If they do not arrive before Rigger reaches the Mexico border then we will need Captain Planet to stall him."

"Later," Wheeler says.

"Goodbye," the others on the Geo Cruiser reply.

Once the video connection was broken, Ma-Ti asked,

"Did anyone else notice something different about those two?"

"I did!" Gi says. "At least with Linka."

"Yes…she was actually praising Wheeler!" Kwame responds.

"Yes, and smiling at him when he talked." Ma-Ti says.

"And…gazing at him. Like she was hanging on his every word. That's not like her…usually she rolls her eyes when he talks!" Gi adds.

"Perhaps they are just feeling very positive about their progress," Kwame suggests.

"Perhaps," Ma-Ti agrees, "But I think there is more to it."

"You don't think Linka finally…" Gi starts to say.

"…realized?" Kwame finishes.

"Only one way to find out…"

"No Ma-Ti!" Kwame interjects, "That is not right to invade their privacy."

"Wait, Kwame…it can't hurt. Just a few minutes. Come on. You know you want to know too!" Gi pleads. "Why don't we take a vote? All in favor of Ma-Ti using his ring?"

Gi and Ma-Ti raise their hands…then, reluctantly, Kwame raises his too with a guilty look on his face.

"Ok, but just for a few minutes!" he reiterates.

"Heart!" Ma-Ti concentrates. "Linka has always realized how Wheeler feels…the difference is…she finally realized…no, that is not right…she finally _admitted_, how she feels. At least, to herself. Wheeler is optimistic…he is happy."

"Well, at least some good has come from this whole situation," Kwame offers.

"And more good will come from it. We are going to save those horses in Rigger's trailer. I am calling the authorities now," Ma-Ti says.


	5. Keep Holding On

Wheeler and Linka sat in the hotel's café, enjoying the continental breakfast. Linka brought her coffee cup to her lips and looked over the top of the cup at Wheeler as he shoved half a cherry danish into his mouth. The corners of Linka's mouth curled up slightly at the sight.

"What?" he asks around a mouthful of danish.

"Just thinking about how that mouth cannot possibly be the same mouth that was doing such wonderful things a few hours ago," she teases as she reaches across the table and uses her finger to wipe away some cherry filling that remained in the corner of Wheeler's mouth and then licks her finger. She hadn't intended it to be provacative, but Wheeler's heart started racing at the sight. Perhaps it was the fact that it was so innocent that made it so sexy at the same time. Wheeler thought to himself, "That's soooo Linka. She doesn't even know how beautiful she is. She's not even trying and she's taking my breath away."

"Wonderful things huh? Are you talking about when I was mouthing off to Greedly or…what a great kisser I am?"

"Maybe I am talking about both? So what are the plans for today?"

"More walking and talking in the Capitol until we hear from the others, I guess."

"Let us go then," Linka says as she stands up and takes one last sip of her coffee.

* * *

"What is taking so long?" Ma-Ti asks. "I called over a half hour ago!"

"Patience Ma-Ti. Perhaps they are setting up a road block and waiting for him," Kwame suggests.

"Or maybe they are reviewing the laws and making sure they have a good reason to stop him. Maybe they have to contact the authorities in Pennsylvania to make sure it is illegal to haul horses in double-decker trailers there," Gi adds.

"I told them it was! Why would they not believe me?!" Ma-Ti stresses.

"Calm down Ma-Ti. We all want Rigger stopped, but we also want everything done right. What is the point of stopping him if the authorities have to end up dropping the charges because things were not done properly? The legal system has it's flaws, but it has to be followed or else criminals like Rigger and Greedly will always be let go on a technicality," Kwame says.

"I know, I know. I am just frustrated. Those horses have been crammed in that trailer for over 24 hours with no food or water. How can anyone be so cruel?"

"Gi, how much longer do you estimate until we reach the Mexico border?" inquires Kwame.

"It depends on what route Rigger takes. If we keep heading straight south, maybe 3-4 hours. If he goes southwest, 5 or 6 hours," she replies.

"If he goes southwest, we will call Captain Planet right away, or if he goes straight south and the police haven't stopped him, once they are less than an hour away from Mexico, then we will call Cap. Ok Ma-Ti?"

"I guess it is better than doing nothing," Ma-Ti says as he sinks down into his seat and wills the horses to keep holding on. "Soon my friends. Help will be here soon."

"Look, Rigger is pulling over!" Gi says.

"What is he doing?" Kwame asks.

Gi hovers the Geo Cruiser over the trailer. Rigger looks up and waves at them, taunting them. It is then that Ma-Ti notices two horses standing in the field. Rigger walks up to the fence and looks like he's luring the horses over with food. He breaks the slats of the fence and leads the horses out of the fenced in area and towards the trailer.

"HE IS STEALING THOSE HORSES!!" Ma-Ti exclaims.

Rigger loads the two horses into his trailer, despite their reluctance to load. His use of a cattle prod gave them little choice.

"I am calling the authorities," Kwame says. "That is clearly illegal and he knows we are watching."

"He must think he is going to make it to the border soon," Gi says.

"What a fool. Now we definitely have a reason to have him stopped by the police," Ma-Ti adds.

* * *

"Phew. I'm beat. All this talking is making me thirsty. Wanna take a break and get some lunch Babe?"

"Da. It would be embarrassing for our stomachs to growl during one of our meetings."

"I feel like I'm a broken record…saying the same things over and over again. Are you getting sick of hearing me talk yet?"

"Nyet. The more you talk, the better you get. It sounds like you really know your stuff."

"I definitely have it memorized. I just hope I don't sound too robotic, like all the emotion is gone."

"You do not. It still sounds convincing. And it is working. So far, we have gotten five Representatives, and three Senators to agree to sign on as co-sponsors," Linka states.

"Yeah, that's pretty awesome. I hope the others are having as much luck as we are. Of course, it's not over until S.311 is passed into law, but the more co-sponsors we get, the better our chances of getting it voted on soon," Wheeler says as they exit the Capitol Building.

"I am proud of you Yankee. I thought I would have to come with you to baby-sit you, but you have done a wonderful job of acting professional…with the exception of when Greedly is around."

"Yeah, guilty as charged. Thankfully, we haven't run into him yet today. Maybe he realized his time is almost up, and he's scrambling to make his profits while he can. It's nice not having to put up with his 'hogwash,' Pun definitely intended."

Linka laughed at his bad joke. She must be loosening up. She'd never allow herself to give into his lame jokes before. As they walked down the steps of the Capitol Building, Linka stumbled but Wheeler's instant reaction to reach out and wrap his arm around her waist prevented her from falling.

"I gotcha Babe," he says as he steadies her, keeping his arm around her.

"Thank you. My shoe came untied," she says as she looks down.

She sits down on the steps so she can tie her shoelace. When she finishes, Wheeler offers her his hand to help her up and keeps hold of her hand as they continue their descent. They continue to walk hand in hand down the Mall, looking for a street vendor.

"That guy over there looks like he's got hot dogs and soft pretzels. Is that ok?"

"Da. I love those pretzels!"

They order their food and drinks, and then find a park bench to sit on while they eat.

When they finish, Wheeler stretches his arms across the back of the bench and Linka leans back, relaxing as well. She takes in the scenery; the trees, the reflecting pool, the Washington Monument, and the Capitol Building in the background.

"Beautiful," Wheeler sighs as he looks over at her.

"Da, it is."

"No, I mean…"

When Linka looks up at Wheeler to see why he stopped, he leans down and kisses her. It surprises her at first, but she soon responds by putting her hand behind his head and holding him there.

"Well, well, isn't this a cozy sight?" Greedly snorts.

Wheeler and Linka jump apart and look up at the rotund figure shading them from the sun.

"What do you want bacon breath?" Wheeler sneers.

"Just wanted to come over and save Blondie from a boy and offer her a chance to be with a man!" Greedly grunts.

"There is only ONE man here Greedly…and it is NOT you," Linka responds.

"Is that so? Well, it's your loss, Blow Hard. And shouldn't you be hard at work trying to get the bleeding hearts on your side? What would your boss say if she knew you weren't doing your job and were making out on a park bench instead? Do you think Gaia would approve?"

"I think Gaia would say 'mind your own damn business, slop for brains.' We did our job, got more co-sponsors, and now we're getting some lunch. Nothing wrong with having a snack…you should know!" Wheeler snapped back.

"Just be careful Blondie, boys like him want one thing and one thing only. Once he gets it, he'll drop you like a bad habit."

Wheeler jumps up, gets right in Greedly's face, and starts yelling,

"You have alot of nerve Greedly! You don't know me. You don't know what I'm like. I'd NEVER hurt her…but I'd have no problem hurtin' you! So you better get the hell outta here because there's no security guards around to protect you now."

"Alright, alright. No need to get all bent outta shape Red. I just thought I was being a nice guy and doin' your girlfriend a favor. If she's smart though, she'll listen to me," Greedly says as he walks away.

"She's smart enough to know NOT to listen to you!" Wheeler yells back to Greedly's retreating form. He then turns to Linka, "You know he's lyin' right? I'm not gonna do what he says. He's just tryin' to start trouble."

"I know," she replies, but can't look at him.

"Then what's wrong? I mean it Linka. I'll never hurt you. I'm in this for as long as you want me to be. I've been waiting for this for so long…if it didn't mean anything to me, I would've given up and moved on a long time ago. You gotta believe me Babe."

"I do. Wheeler, I know how you feel. And I know how I feel. But what if Greedly was right about one thing…how will Gaia feel?"

"She'll be happy if we're happy. We're not doing anything wrong. We're adults now. We can chose who we want to be with…and look how good we are together. We are doing something amazing…not just as Planeteers, but as people. We're here making a difference. But anyone can make a difference if they try. We don't NEED to be Planeteers to do this…but I need you. And if anyone makes me choose between being a Planeteer and being with you…I choose you. I'll always choose you."

"Wheeler…"

"Wait, I'm not done," he says as he holds her face in his hands. "I'll still recycle, I'll use energy efficient bulbs, I'll shut off the water when I brush my teeth, I'll be the voice for those that have none…but I won't give you up."

"Hopefully it will not come to that, but if I had to make a decision…I would choose you too."

"Really?" He asks.

"Da. Really."

"Cool," he whispers as he leans down kiss her. Just as their lips touch, they are once again interrupted. This time, it's by Ma-Ti.

"Wheeler, Linka. Rigger has almost made it to Mexico. We need Captain Planet! Look for Kwame's signal."

They look to the sky and see a green beam.

"Fire!"

"Wind!"

Soon the three beams of light are joined by two more. Wheeler and Linka see a bright burst of light and can only assume that Captain Planet has arrived to save the day.

Wheeler puts his arm around Linka's shoulder and gives her a reassuring squeeze.

"Go Planet," he whispers.

* * *

"By your powers combined…I am Captain Planet!"

"GO PLANET!!" Ma-Ti, Kwame, and Gi cheer.

The authorities finally showed up, but Rigger refused to pull over. Several police cruisers pursued him, but could not do anything to stop him for fear of endangering the horses or other drivers should the trailer tip over in the event of a high-speed chase. That is what led do the decision to summon Captain Planet. Kwame, Gi, and Ma-Ti watch as Captain Planet persues Rigger's truck and hope that they are not too late.

* * *

"What should we do? Just stand around and wait?" Linka asks.

"I guess. There's not much else we can do."

Wheeler and Linka sit back down on the bench and wait. He puts his arm around her and she leans back into him. Wheeler kisses the top of her head and rests his head on top of hers.

"I kinda wish we were there," he confesses. "I'd love to see Cap take Rigger down and make him pay."

"Da, me too," she says as she takes his hand in hers and intertwines their fingers.

"I think I can arrange that," says a voice from behind them.

"Gaia!" they both exclaim as they stand up and separate as fast as two teenagers who just got caught making out in the basement.

"You two have done an excellent job here. I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you Gaia," Linka replies.

"There were no disagreements, no bickering, no stubbornness that caused you to work against each other…You worked well together, just like I always knew you could...and make a great pair...just like I always knew you WOULD."

Linka blushes at the implication, but at the same time was relieved to know that Gaia approved...and in fact, knew it would eventually happen.

"Yeah, it was kinda nice not fighting or arguing," Wheeler admits.

"And you two accomplished alot in 24 hours," Gaia adds.

"Yeah, but it kinda sucks that we're missing out on the action," Wheeler says.

"That's what I'm here for, to get you both to Texas," Gaia replies.

"What is going on Gaia?" Linka asks.

"Yeah, how are we going to get to Texas without transportation?"

"Let's find somewhere that's a little less populated," Gaia suggests.

Once they find a spot, Gaia continues,

"Remember when you first became Planeteers, you went from being in one place to another?"

"Yeah…one minute I'm in Brooklyn, the next I'm on a tropical island."

"And now you'll be going from DC to Texas," Gaia says.

In an instant, Wheeler and Linka are transported to Texas and appear next to the others.

"Wheeler? Linka? How did you…?"

"Gaia. She didn't want us to miss the action," Wheeler explains.

"Looks like we are right on time," Linka says.

"Whoa cowboy," Cap says as he stands in the middle of the road, right in the path of Rigger's truck.

Rigger was not about to stop. Instead, he hit the gas. Captain Planet could have easily stayed in place and turned into something hard like rock or steel, but he didn't want to risk hurting the horses. At the last second, he flies out of the way, and up and over the cab of the trailer. Once he positions himself between the cab and the trailer, Captain Planet melts the trailer hitch and detaches the trailer. He brings the trailer to a halt, calms all the frightened horses, and breaks the lock.

"Planeteers, you get the horses out of there. I'll take care of Rigger."

The five heroes rush to the back of the trailer and carefully open it, expecting a stampede. Instead, they are overwhelmed with an awful smell. The sight is almost as bad as the smell. The floors are covered in blood and manure. The horses on the bottom level of the trailer are covered in blood and waste that fell down on them from the horses in the top level.

"Bozhe Moy."

"This is horrible!" Ma-Ti says.

"Yes, it is much worse than I thought," Kwame agrees.

"I don't think we should go in there," Gi says.

"We can't just leave 'em in there. I'm goin' in," declares Wheeler.

"Wheeler! Nyet! It is too dangerous. They are scared and confused, and in those tight quarters, you AND them could get hurt."

"Too late Babe, some of them are already hurt. I'll be careful. I promise."

Wheeler rushes in and Ma-Ti follows. Kwame isn't far behind. They start with the horses in the back and lead them out. Some of them are limping. The injuries range from minor cuts that should heal unless they are infected, to broken bones. These are serious injuries. They probably got broken by being kicked by another scared horse, or from kicking the walls trying to get out. The broken legs are so severe, the legs are dangling, and the bones are exposed. Those horses will have to be euthanized. Others are already dead.

"Linka, call the Humane Society. Tell them we need vets, food, water, stuff to clean off the horses, and trailers to get them to an animal hospital." Wheeler instructs.

"Ok," she replies as she rushes back to the Geo Cruiser.

"And Babe…tell them we've got four dead and six, maybe seven that should probably be euthanized."

"Oh…Ok," she says sadly.


	6. Life and Death

A/N: This chapter was written after the death of Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby and is dedicated to her. I was rooting for Big Brown to win, but was so happy and impressed to see that massive filly finish second, beating 18 colts. She proved she belonged with the boys, and had she lived, I think she could have won many more races this year. Her death has brought much needed awareness to problems in the horse racing industry, and to horse welfare in general. Bracelets are being sold in her honor and her owners are giving 100 percent of the money raised to a charity called Mid Atlantic Horse Rescue. They will use that money to go to horse auctions and buy horses that would otherwise end up being bought by killer buyers and ending up being slaughtered. RIP Eight Belles.

* * *

The boys continue to unload the horses while Captain Planet slams into the front of Rigger's truck and brings it to a stop. Rigger jumps out of the vehicle and tries to make a run for it, but between the police and Captain Planet, he is surrounded.

"Turn around and put your hands behind your back," an officer orders.

"What? What for?" Rigger asks as the officer cuffs him.

"Where should I start? How about failing to pull over when we tried to stop you? You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law…You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. If you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present, you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?"

"Yep, yep."

"With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?" the officer continues.

"You can't do anything to me. I haven't done anything wrong. Nope, nope. I'll sue you for harassment and theft!"

"Actually sir, you're resisting arrest. You wouldn't stop when we tried to pull you over for a traffic violation," an officer said.

"That's a lie, yep yep. I was doing the speed limit."

"We received a call from authorities in Pennsylvania about a double-decker trailer hauling horses. That's illegal in that state so they asked us to look into it. Looks like we found you, ILLEGALLY hauling horses. Not to mention someone reported that a vehicle fitting this description was seen stealing horses off of private property," the officer explains.

By now, the Planeteers have gotten the horses out of the trailer and are listening to what is going on with Rigger.

"Seems like everything is under control here Planeteers. Nice work. The Power is YOURS," and with that Captain Planet returned their powers.

"Who says I hauled the horses in Pennsylvania? Just because the trailer has PA plates, doesn't prove anything. Nope nope."

"We SAW you Rigger," Kwame says.

"You can't take the word of these Eco-Dweebs."

"We have other witnesses there that could place you at the horse auction in New Holland," Ma-Ti states.

"They're just trying to sabotage my boss' business, yep yep. Eco-sabotage."

"So what you're saying is you're just the middle man. Your boss is the man we should be going after?" The officer inquires.

"Yep…I mean no. I mean…Yep, I'm just the middle man, but you shouldn't go after my boss. We checked. What we're doing is legal."

"What exactly is it you're doing?" probes the officer.

"We buy horses that no one wants and sell them to slaughter houses. There's no laws against that, nope nope."

"Actually, it's illegal in the state of Texas to sell horsemeat for human consumption. If you were intending on selling these horses to slaughterhouses, that's illegal."

"Rigger, you dumbass! Haha!!" Wheeler laughs. "This man just read you your rights, and your big mouth just admitted to guilt! You Eco-Villains are so stupid. You're lucky you're surrounded by cops or I'd kick your sorry ass. Look over there. LOOK AT THOSE HORSES YOU WERE HAULING, HALF OF THEM ARE DEAD OR NEED TO BE EUTHANIZED. **HOW MUCH MONEY DOES A DEAD HORSE GET YOU, YOU JACKASS!?**" Wheeler's temper gets the best of him as he grabs Rigger by the shirt and shakes him. "**ANSWER ME DAMMIT!!**"

Two officers move to restrain Wheeler, but the arresting officer calls them off and allows Wheeler to vent his frustrations.

"Wheeler!" Linka yells as she joins the group.

Wheeler releases Rigger, roughly pushes him away, and turns to Linka.

"The Humane Society is on the way. Come with me," she says as she takes his hand and leads him away. "The police can handle Rigger. How are the horses?"

"Not good. I don't think most of them are going to make it. Only five seem to be ok and one of those looks like she's REALLY pregnant."

"They were going to slaughter a pregnant mare?!"

"Sure. When they sell them by the pound, a pregnant mare brings in extra money," Wheeler explains as he slowly reaches out to rub the pregnant mare's nose. "Hey there pretty girl. Take it easy. You're ok now." He then turns to Linka, "Plus, once the foal is born, they put it in a feedlot for a few months to fatten it up, and then they slaughter them."

"I cannot believe they could do that to a baby."

It is then that Linka notices the bloody wound on Wheeler's arm.

"Bozhe Moy Wheeler! You are bleeding!"

"Yeah, when I was getting the horses out, I went to grab the halter on one of them and he bit me pretty hard. I guess I moved a little too quickly for his liking. I was too busy watching out that I didn't get kicked, I forgot that they can bite!"

"I told you not to go in there. I knew it was dangerous," she says.

"It's not a big deal. I'd rather get bit than kicked."

"Da, but it is filthy in there. You could get an infection. Come with me to the Geo Cruiser, I will clean it up and bandage it for you."

Wheeler takes a seat inside the Geo Cruiser as Linka retrieves the first aid kit.

"Wheeler, there are still some water bottles left. Should we give them to the horses?"

"That's not a bad idea. But I got a better one. We should have some water in the storage tanks for eco emergencies when we have to hose stuff off. We shouldn't spray the horses with the hose because they're still pretty easily spooked and have been through alot of stress already, but if we fill some buckets, we can start cleaning them off and giving them water to drink. OWW! That burns!"

"Sorry."

"Blow on it! Hurry!!"

"Yankee, blowing on it defeats the purpose of disinfecting it. It just adds germs," she says.

"I don't care! Either you blow on it, or I do!" he whines.

"Fine," she says as she blows on the area where she applied the disinfectant. "You big baby," she adds jokingly as she wraps the wound in gauze. "Back to your idea…it is a good one. We should be sure to get pictures of the conditions and the horses though, incase the Humane Society needs to build a case against Rigger and Greedly."

"I do not think they will have trouble doing that," Kwame says from the door. "We are going to the police station to give our statements since we have been following Rigger all this time. Are you two staying here or coming with us?"

"We'll stay here and wait for the Humane Society. I'm sure they'll have questions for us too. We're going to stay here with the horses and clean them off as best we can until the Humane Society gets here with more supplies," Wheeler says.

"Ok. We will be in touch and you can pick us up when we finish at the police station," Kwame states.

* * *

Wheeler starts filling buckets with water and taking them to the horses while Linka takes pictures of the inside of the trailer, the filth covering the horses, and their injuries.

Some of the more seriously injured horses are lying on the ground and having a hard time getting water from the buckets. Wheeler attends to them and tilts the buckets so that the horses can get water without having to move too much. The healthier horses are grazing on the sparse patches of grass and lapping up the water that has been given to them.

Linka has finished taking pictures and Wheeler can see that she is upset and had been crying.

"Are you ok Babe?"

"Da…nyet…I do not know. I cannot believe that all these horses are going to have to be put to sleep."

"Maybe they won't have to be. I mean, it's only some broken bones. Bones heal."

"Unfortunately, it is not so simple for horses. If you or I break a leg, we just stay off it for 6 weeks until the bone heals. A horse cannot lay down for long periods of time because they develop other problems such as colic, which can be fatal, so it is not like they can stay off it. It is not easy to understand, but the humane thing to do is end their suffering."

"This sucks. They shouldn't even be in this condition. Greedly and Rigger did this to them, and now they're going to die. It's not fair."

"I know. Here," she says as she hands him some wet towels. "Let us start cleaning them off."

They do a pretty decent job of getting the majority of the muck off the horses. When the team from the Humane Society gets there, they finish the job. They also bring tubs of food which the horses eagerly dig into.

The vets assess the horses and confirm Wheeler and Linka's suspicions. Seven of them will have to be put to sleep.

"Come on Wheeler, we do not need to watch," Linka says as she tugs on his arm.

"No. I wanna stay with them. They shouldn't have to die alone. I want them to know that there are people out there who are kind and…in their last moments, I want them to know what it's like to be loved."

"I understand. I will stay too."

Each horse was carefully looked at and their wound was taken care of and they were loaded into an Equine Ambulance. They were given food one last time. Wheeler and Linka were with each horse as they were euthanized, petting them and speaking softly to them, and apologizing to them for the sins of man.

The horse that bit Wheeler is next. He is definitely skittish and when Wheeler, Linka, and the Humane Society's vets approach him, his eyes grow wide in fear.

"It's ok boy. No hard feelings. If I were you and didn't trust humans, I would've bitten me too!" Wheeler carefully reaches out to pet the horse, but the horse rears up on his hind legs and stomps his front feet.

"Whoa, easy big guy," Wheeler says as the anxious horse throws his head back and continues to stomp his feet. "Hey, if he can do that, he can't be hurt too badly, right?" Wheeler asks.

"His injury is definitely less serious than the others, but the fracture would still require surgery. Expensive surgery, and without any owners to pay for it, he won't get it."

"Can't he be donated to a vet school? There are universities all over the country that could use the practice and learn from doing it," Wheeler argues.

"It's not that simple son. The surgery is the easy part; it's the recovery that is difficult. He could develop other problems like Laminitis which is very painful and incurable."

"It cannot be cured, but huge advances have been made in treating it and making it manageable until it clears up on it's own," Linka added. "Lots of money has been raised in recent years for Laminitis research. This horse may have a chance to live."

"But what kind of life will he live?" The vet asks. "What kind of future does he have? He's got no owners to care for him, even if he does get better."

"You're assuming he even has post surgery complications. He could be fine right?"

"Yes. I suppose. But he's temperamental. In order to recover from surgery, the horse has to be willing to be a good patient. This guy here doesn't seem like he'd be willing to cooperate."

"Wheeler can relate to that!" Linka teases.

"Funny. Please Doc. Give 'em a chance to recover. He's been through hell and has been let down by people so many times. We've already had to euthanize six really serious cases…We've lost more than we were able to save. If this guy even has just a little bit of a chance of survival, we owe it to him to try. Look at him. Does this look like a horse who's ready to give up and die? He's a fighter. He's trying to tell us that he's not ready. He wants to fight."

By now the horse has calmed down considerably and is allowing Wheeler to caress his jaw and is even leaning into his touch."

"Look into his eyes Doc. They're bright and alert. Not sad like the others. The others were ready. They knew they were in bad shape. This guy…he wants your help. He wants to get better," Wheeler pleads.

"Ok, let me examine him one more time to make sure we have a legitimate chance. I'm going to see if we brought the portable x-ray machine."

Wheeler turns to Linka and asks,

"Am I being selfish?"

"Nyet, I do not think so."

"It just didn't seem right to put him down when he doesn't act hurt…even if he did bite me. You're lucky I'm so forgiving, huh guy? You need a name."

"Nice job Yankee. Bravo."

"That's it! 'Bravo' cuz he put on a good show that may have saved his life!"

"YOU may have saved his life," Linka says with admiration in her voice as she refills Bravo's bucket with some more sweet oats.

The vet returns with the x-ray machine and moves towards the injured right hind leg.

"Ok, has this guy calmed down enough or is he going to kick me as soon as I get back by his leg?" he asks.

"He's cool. He just needed to know that we're his friends and we're here to help. And he's way too interested in eating to care about anything else," Wheeler says.

"Sounds like you two have another thing in common Yankee!"

Wheeler and Linka continue to pet Bravo and keep him calm. He has settled down now that he has developed a little bit of trust in the people around him. The vet stands up and says he will be back with the results.

Ten minutes later, he returns.

"He has a condylar fracture," the vet says.

"Is that bad?"

"It's a fracture of the condyle of the cannon bone. The condyle is the bulbous bottom or distal end of the cannon bone that fits into the fetlock joint or in laymen's terms, the ankle. Condylar fractures can be repaired surgically as I said earlier, probably by inserting 3 to 4 screws into the cannon bone. The prognosis for survival and a return to soundness is dependent on the severity of injury. In uncomplicated cases, after surgery to fix an uncomplicated condylar fracture, the horse normally is given stall rest for one month, followed by stall rest and hand-walking for another month. After this 60-day period, follow-up x-rays are taken to determine the rate of healing," the vet explains.

"So is Bravo's fracture complicated or uncomplicated?" Linka asks.

After a short pause, the vet confirmed "It's UNcomplicated."

"YES!!" Wheeler exclaims as he wraps his arms around Linka and lifts her off the ground.

All the commotion causes Bravo to snort loudly to show his displeasure at all the noise and sudden movement.

"Sorry fella, we're just happy for YOU," Wheeler apologizes as he pats Bravo's head.

"Now you must find an equine surgeon to perform the surgery, and I doubt you'll find one who will do it for free, even if it is at a university for research and study."

"Then I'll find a way to pay for it. I'll take out a loan, I don't care. Whatever it takes," Wheeler promises Bravo.

"And I will help," Linka adds.

"Well then, I can recommend some surgeons for you, depending on where you plan on keeping the horse," the vet offered.

"Cool. Thanks Doc," Wheeler says as he shakes the vet's hand. "I guess we'll send him somewhere in Florida. That'd be the closest to Hope Island."

"Ok. I'll make some calls and get back to you. I'll get the other vets in here to help me get him in a temporary splint and some meds to manage the pain. Then once we figure out what vet you're sending him to, we'll make arrangements to ship him."

"Sounds good…well Babe, looks like we finally got that horse we both always wanted!" Wheeler says as he puts an arm around her and pulls her against his side.

"Da. And he is beautiful," she says as she brushes the black mane away from Bravo's forehead to fully reveal a white patch that stood out against his dark bay colored coat. "It is too bad it is only temporary."

"What do you mean? I'm in this 110 percent. I'm committed to this guy for life."

"Wheeler…we cannot keep a horse on Hope Island. There is not enough grass, we have no shelter suitable for it, no feed and supply stores, no hay, no vet close by, and more importantly, no time. We are not home enough to take care of a horse. It is an every day job. Morning, afternoon, and night. He would need fed and exercised daily. There are times when we are gone for days."

"But Gaia can…"

"…Cannot be expected to take on something that should be OUR responsibility."

Wheeler looked dejected as he came to the realization that Linka was right.

"You have already done so much for him Wheeler. He would be dead right now if you had not fought for him. You are getting him surgery to fix his leg. You know I feel the same way you do about always wanting a horse, but it would be selfish of us to save him, then not give him the life he deserves."

"I know. You're right. It's just…I got really attached to him these last few minutes. I feel a connection to him. It's like the same way I felt when I was a kid with that pony at the fair. I guess I felt like I just went back in time…and it was a good feeling."

"I am sorry. How about instead of thinking about the past, you think about the present…and future," she suggests.

"Yeah. I guess." Wheeler clearly was too distracted to catch Linka's meaning.

"Hey you two," one of the Humane Society workers interrupted "that pregnant mare is in labor if you wanna watch the birthing."

"Do you want to go?" Linka asks as she pulls away slightly and looks up at him.

"Sure. Sounds cool. Hey," Wheeler says addressing the Humane Society worker, "can we take this big guy outta this equine ambulance since he's not being euthanized? We're gonna be making arrangements to get him to Florida and I think he's spent enough time in a trailer over the last day. I want him to get some fresh air and not feel trapped."

"Absolutely. Just keep a hold of him so he doesn't take off. He needs to be careful with that fracture so that it doesn't get worse."

"Come on Bravo. Let's watch one of your friends have herself a little miracle."

"That's actually a good idea for a name," the worker says. "In this business, there's alot of sadness. Sometimes we're lucky enough to get a happy ending but by that point, it's out of our hands. Usually, those of us on the scene have to deal with the sad stuff, like the euthanizing."

"I think we can relate to that in our job, right Linka?"

"Da."

"This is one of those rare occasions where you actually get to see the happy ending as it happens," the worker says.

Wheeler and Linka lead Bravo out of the ambulance and over to where the mare is about to give birth. He seems very interested in what is going on with his fellow equine. They speak softly and calmly to him as they pet him to keep him settled.

"Hey look at her butt!"

"WHEELER!"

"No, I mean, she was branded."

"Yeah, alot of breeders and farms do that," one of the workers says.

"Well that mare and Bravo have the same symbol," Wheeler points out.

"They are from the same farm!"

"No wonder he looks so interested in her. Is that your friend boy? Don't worry, she's ok."

Bravo snorts and paws at the ground, as if he wants to walk closer, but knows he needs to stay back.

"Hey, you don't think…" Wheeler starts.

"…that Bravo is about to be a daddy?" Linka finishes.

"Yeah."

"It's a possibility" one of the vets says. "We can find out for sure once the foal is born if you want."

"Yeah, that'd be cool. A paternity test, horse style. I feel like we should be on Maury Povich," Wheeler jokes as the others burst out laughing. Everyone except Linka, who did not get the reference, and Bravo who lets out a loud snort to let these humans know that it is time to get serious.

"What?" she asks.

"Nothing Babe. It's a trashy talk show where 90 percent of the time, they bring on these woman who don't know which man is the father of their kid, so they test them all, and sometimes they find a daddy, and sometimes they don't. It's pretty funny actually. Would probably be insulting to your intelligence, but is good for a laugh."

* * *

Wheeler and Linka watch in amazement as they witness their first foal being born. A healthy looking colt.

"That was amazing," Linka says.

"That was disgusting! But cool," Wheeler agrees. "Look, he kinda has the same mark on his forehead as Bravo does. I betcha this is his son!"

"That is really cool. Oooh look! He is trying to stand."

They watch in anticipation as the leggy foal tries to get his legs under him. He stands on his shaky legs and cautiously takes a step forward. He stumbles, but catches himself, then tries again. He slowly makes his way over to his mother's side and begins to nurse.

Everyone applauds, the doctors shake hands, the volunteers high five, and Wheeler wraps his arm around Linka and places a kiss on her temple.

* * *

The Humane Society takes care of making arrangements to get the horses that need veterinary care to the proper facilities. Once everything is situated, Wheeler and Linka take off in the Geo Cruiser and head for the police station to pick up the others. They are hoping for good news and that Rigger and Greedly will be brought to justice. They were not prepared for the news that was awaiting them.


	7. Light in the Darkness

A/N: This bit has got a little swearing, and an implied consensual encounter. I don't think it's enough to warrant a rating change…I think the previous chapters with descriptions of what goes on in slaughterhouses and on the way there are more upsetting than what's in this chapter…as a matter of fact, I think you'll quiet like this one!

* * *

"What do you mean they've got nothin' on Greedly?!" Wheeler yells.

"Rigger is taking the fall on his own. He will not implicate Greedly at all," Kwame explains.

"That's bullshit! Greedly was behind the whole thing!"

"But technically, Greedly did nothing wrong and if Rigger is saying he worked alone, he's the only one that's punishable," Gi says.

"So what is Rigger's punishment?" Linka asks.

"30,000 dollars in fines," Ma-Ti says.

"Which I'm sure Greedly will pay off and have his henchman back on the streets in no time," Wheeler adds.

"Gaia has instructed us to go back to DC. All of Wheeler and Linka's hard work has paid off. The Senate Majority Leader has invited us to speak in front of the Senate tomorrow afternoon. We are to discuss what we have found, what we have experienced, and the facts that dispell the slaughter myths that Greedly has been spreading," Kwame informs the group.

"That is great news isn't it Wheeler?!" Ma-Ti exclaims. "This could be what we needed, right?"

"Yeah. Sure."

"I just hope we have enough time to put a proper presentation," Gi worries.

"We will be fine. Wheeler and I have everything pretty much memorized, and you all can just tell the horrors of what you saw. We better get going back to DC. Hopefully finding a hotel room will not be as difficult as it was yesterday," says Linka.

"You had trouble finding rooms?" Gi asks.

"Da. None of the hotels in the city had any available. We had to go to Virginia before we could find a room."

"Room?"

"Uh, rooms…I meant," Linka covered.

* * *

"You're in luck, we have three rooms available, two beds in each and a couch." the clerk said.

"We will only need two. One for the boys and one for the girls. I will take the couch," Kwame offers.

"Actually, the couch has a pull out bed, and the sheets for it are in the closet," the clerk says.

"Guys, would it be ok if we took the third room. I kinda wanna be alone," says Wheeler.

Linka tried to make eye contact with him, but he kept his eyes down on the floor.

"Certainly sir," the clerk says as he puts the key cards on the counter. "These two are right next to each other, but unfortunately, this one is at the opposite end of the hall."

Wheeler grabs that key and walks away mumbling a "thanks" as he leaves.

"I will check on him later," Ma-Ti says.

"Our gym is open 24 hours and free to our guests. The pool is open until 11 pm and re-opens at 9 am."

"Maybe Wheeler will be up for a game of basketball later?" Kwame suggests.

"I hope so. I do not like seeing him so upset," Ma-Ti says.

* * *

Linka and Gi are getting settled in their room when Gi breaks the silence.

"These last two days have been rough huh?"

"Da."

"I sure did have an eye opening experience. Now I know how Wheeler feels all the time."

"What do you mean?" says Linka.

"I was wrong!" Gi jokes.

"Wheeler may not always be right, but his heart is always in the right place," Linka defends.

"I know. It was a joke Linka. I thought you enjoyed a joke at Wheeler's expense."

"I do…did. It is just…he is taking this really hard. I have never seen him like this during a mission, and I know this is close to him."

"You're really worried about him aren't you?"

"Da."

"Why don't you go check on him?"

"Maybe...just for a few minutes."

* * *

Linka knocks on his door and waits for him to open it, instead he replies,

"I told you Ma-Ti, I don't wanna play basketball, I don't wanna go for a swim, and I don't wanna play cards."

"Wheeler, it is me…" Linka says as she waits for him to open the door for her. Instead, there is a long silence. She is about to walk away when the door swings open. Wheeler's eyes are glassy and bloodshot. Maybe it is from lack of sleep, but Linka suspects he has been crying.

"Hi," she says.

"Hey."

"I know you said you wanted to be alone right now…but I do not."

"Where's Gi? I thought you were rooming with her."

"I am. But that is not what I mean. I am worried about you. You are shutting everyone out, including me. I did not think you would ever do that to me…especially since I am hurting too. You know how upsetting it has been witnessing how those horses were treated…being with them as they were euthanized, knowing the hell that they have gone through these last few days…and why? Because they could not run fast enough, because their owners realized too late that they could not afford a horse, because scum like Greedly and Rigger make a living conning unknowing owners? Da, we saved some, but it was too late for most of them. And what about all the others? The ones being hauled across the country as we speak? Do you think it is easier to go through this alone? Because I do not."

Wheeler looked at her apologetically.

"I guess I am being kinda selfish. I didn't realize. I know this hasn't been easy on you either. I just…I guess I process things differently. When I was a kid, I was on my own when I was upset. I didn't have anyone to comfort me or talk to. That's probably why I tend to internalize things and want to be alone. You probably had a totally opposite way of dealing with things. You had a brother, grandma, and dad who were there for you and would listen. Am I right?"

"Da. But I do not have that anymore."

"I'm sorry. I know I could never replace your family, but if you want, I could be the one that's always there for you," he looks at her hopefully then closes the distance between them and pulls her into a passionate kiss. She is taken by surprise at first, but soon responds. He walks backwards into the room, bringing her with him, and lets the door swing shut behind them.

Wheeler had Linka pinned between his body and the wall, his hands roaming aimlessly, as if he didn't know what to do with them. He knew what he_ wanted_ to do, but there was still the voice of reason telling him what he _shouldn't_ do. She wasn't pushing him away though, even though he thought she should be. "Maybe she's afraid," he thought. "Maybe I'm over powering her."

When he realized that, he quickly pulled away and Linka instantly felt the void he left. The warmth that had enveloped her was gone, her cheeks were flushed, and she was out of breath. "Why did he stop?" She wondered. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Wheeler…?"

"I'm sorry if I hurt you. I didn't mean to get so…rough," he says as he opens the door, feeling as though he had just taken advantage of her... "You should go."

"You did not hurt me. I know you never would. And I am not leaving. I came here because I need you, and I thought you needed me too."

"I do. And I can't believe I'm actually asking you to leave, but I'm not good company right now. I'm too angry about everything."

"Then stop being angry," she says as she wraps her arms around his waist and pulls him against her. "Do not think of Greedly or Rigger. Think of our speech tomorrow. Think positive thoughts for Bravo's recovery. Think of me," and with that, she stands up on her tiptoes and kisses him.

Gone were the rushed carnal urges that consumed him earlier. Now he was taking it slow, taking everything in. He knew exactly what to do with his hands now. While his eyes were closed, he used his hands to memorize the contours and curves of her body. They made small circles on the small of her back, grabbing at the fabric of her shirt. Doing so un-tucked her shirt from her shorts and he tentatively moved his hands under her shirt. He was encouraged when she pulled his already half un-tucked shirt the rest of the way out of his jeans and lifted his shirt over his head. This forces them to break contact, but also gives them a chance to catch their breath. As they stand there, his hands slide down her back and finally come to rest as they slip inside her back pockets.

"Sooooo," he says.

"So."

"Well, I'm definitely thinking of you now."

"Good."

"Very good," he agrees as he pulls her close.

She rests her head on his chest, contemplating what will happen next. She turns her head and presses her lips against his skin, then boldly places several more kisses across his sternum. Wheeler bends down to capture her lips and lifts her up so that her face is even with his. She wraps her legs around his waist to help alleviate the weight on his arms. This positions her slightly higher than him and gives him the opportunity to kiss her neck and along her jaw line. It tickled and caused her to giggle. Hearing that made Wheeler's heart leap in his chest, knowing that he was the reason for her delight. He carried her over to the bed and laid her down. This would go no further than she allowed, but until she objected, he would continue. When he looked in her eyes, he saw no sign of hesitation. Is this how he'd always dreamed it would be? Definitely not. There's only one thing that remains the same…her. Only her. Always her. And he hopes she feels the same way.

Greedly's words from earlier in the day creep into his head, "…boys like him want one thing and one thing only. Once he gets it, he'll drop you like a bad habit." Wheeler knew that wasn't true, and Linka said she knew it wasn't true, but still, Wheeler was afraid that Greedly had gotten to her and he wanted to do everything he could to reassure her.

He turns onto his side, but when she follows, he pulls away.

"Wait Linka, I need to tell you something."

She looked at him questioningly. What could he possibly have to tell her, she wondered. And couldn't it wait? They were kind of in the middle of something important. This couldn't be good if he felt the need to confess something right now.

"What?"

"Well, I was thinking about Greedly…"

"NOW?!"

"Yeah. About what he said earlier and I wanna make sure you know it's not true."

"I told you, I know it is not. He was just trying to upset us."

"Yeah but…I don't know. It's just…I want you to know that I _AM_ only after one thing, but it's not what Greedly was implying. All I want…all I've ever wanted is _YOU_; Your friendship, your anger, your trust, your love…whatever you're willing to give, as long as you're with me. And I don't even mean _WITH_ me like what's going on now. I'm happy just being in the same room, at the same table, in the same plane, on the same island…I couldn't stand ever not having you as a part of my life. I don't want to do anything to ruin what we have…but I wanna do everything I can to make it better. I'll do anything you want me to…or don't want me to. Just say the word. I don't want you to…"

Linka puts her hand over his mouth and stops him mid-sentence.

"Do you think that I would be here if I did not want to be? _**I**_ came to _**YOU**_ remember?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure you weren't expecting this to happen," he says as he waves his hand over their current state in the bed.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Well, because…it's…umm…I mean, you…we just…"

"Stop talking Yankee," she says as she kisses him and follows him down as he rolls onto his back.

After a few more minutes of that, Wheeler pulls away once again and looks up at Linka, who is leaning over him.

"Bozhe Moy…now what?!"

"I just wanna say one more thing. Babe…Linka. I lo…"

"NYET! Do not say it."

"What?! Why?"

"Do not say it because you think you have to. I do not need you to say it because I know you feel it."

"Ok. Good. I'm glad you know…but what if I _WANT_ to say it? Or don't you wanna hear it because you don't think you can say it back? You don't have to. Don't worry. You've never been the type to let your feelings be known. I get it."

"Do you? I do not think that you do. I _WANT_ to hear it and I _CAN_ say it back. I just do not want you to feel required to say it because of what is about to happen. Or perhaps I should say what _WAS_ about to happen," she says, frustrated.

Out of nowhere, Wheeler starts to laugh.

"What is so funny?"

"It just hit me how fitting this is," he says, still chuckling.

"What is?"

"Well, only _WE_ could manage to have an argument while…you know."

Suddenly, the absurdity of the situation hits her and Linka also starts to laugh.

"You are right. There are not many people out there who can find something to fight about in the middle of…this."

"You know what's really weird?" he asks.

"What?"

"That it's kinda hot!" he says as he wraps his arms around her and maneuvers them so that he is the one that is now leaning over her.

He tentatively slips his hand under the hem of her shirt and slowly pulls it up. "Linka, are you sure?" he asks as he looks down at her.

"Do me a favor Wheeler," she asks.

"Anything Babe."

"Do not ask me that ever again!" she says as she pulls him down towards her and into a kiss.

* * *

Wheeler collapses on top of Linka and nuzzles his face into the crook of her neck.

"Jason?" she whispers into his ear, trying out his name and deciding it doesn't feel natural.

"Hmm?"

"I…love you."

He looks up, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him. When he looks in her eyes, he sees it. Even if his mind is playing tricks on him, he sees it in her eyes.

"I love you too Babe. So much," he whispers against her lips.

He rolls onto his back and wraps his arm around her shoulders while lightly brushing his fingertips up and down her arm. The sensation makes her shiver so he pulls the covers up over their bodies.

She turns onto her side, laying her head on his chest and sighing contentedly. Her hand comes to rest on his stomach, caressing the taunt skin covering his abdomen. How many times had she secretly admired his toned body while sitting on the beach? It looked like she was reading a book, but her sunglasses hid the real direction her eyes were looking…Wheeler surfing; Wheeler swimming; Wheeler throwing a football or kicking a soccer ball to the others…always her eyes were on Wheeler, wondering what it would be like to run her hands over his body. Several times, she made herself blush and was noticed by the others. Fortunately, they did not catch on to the cause of her suddenly red cheeks and just warned her that she was getting too much sun.

But now, she no longer had to wonder what it would be like. Now she knows. Every ripple, every curve, every muscle…hers to caress whenever she wanted…well, as long as the others weren't looking. No one was looking now. She runs her finger from his lower abdomen up his torso, and rubs her hand across his sternum, coming to rest over his heart.

He kisses the top of her head and murmurs, "That tickles."

"Sorry," she says as she presses her lips against his chest and places several kisses there.

"S'ok" He trails his hand down her arm and to her waist. "I'll just get you back!" he says as he tickles her side, causing her to squeal.

She grabs his hand and interlaces her fingers with his, pulling them up and away from her ticklish stomach and kisses his knuckles.

"You comfy?" he asks.

"Da. Just sleepy."

"Been a long day. Let's get some rest. We've got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Umm hmm," she says groggily.

"Thank you…for, ya know, being there for me tonight and coming to my room. Even though I was being a jerk and taking my anger out on the ones that least deserve it. I was real messed up tonight thinking about Greedly getting away with animal abuse and all the bad things that can happen even though we try so hard to make things right; like bad people hurting others and not facing the consequences, but the ones that they hurt are left to suffer and deal with the outcome. But you reminded me of all the good things in life. _YOU_ are the light in the darkness, corny as that sounds. As long as I know I have you, I'll be the happiest guy in the world and not dwell on the negative. And I'll always be here for you too. You know that right? Linka? Babe? Are you asleep?"

He looks down and sees that she has indeed fallen asleep. "Great. I was all sappy for nothin'. It's gonna be a long time before I get up the courage to talk like that again Babe. Aww, who am I kiddin'? I'll tell you everyday for the rest of my life...to hell with being cheesy. And to top it all off, now I'm still talking to you, even though you're asleep, so basically I'm talking to myself. See what you do to me? I'm putty in your hands and you know it! You bring out the best in me. Wow. This is actually much easier now that I know you're sleeping. You are amazing. I'm crazy about you, and I'm the luckiest guy in the world. There, I think that about does it. Goodnight Babe-ushka."

"Goodnight Yankee Doodle."

"HEY! Were you awake the whole time?"

"Da."

"That was pretty sneaky Ruskie-tootskie"

"Well how else was I supposed to know how you really feel? Apparently, you cannot say it when you think I am awake!" she teases.

"Yeah, well I didn't want to betray my cool exterior."

"Your secret is safe with me, Love. Now, I can no longer keep my eyes open and am going to sleep for real."

"Me too. Goodnight," he whispers into her hair.

"Goodnight."

* * *

Wheeler wakes up when he hears the water running in the bathroom. He is alone in the bed so it must be Linka. He closes his eyes and waits for her to return. He hears the bathroom door open, but when he chances sneaking a peek, he is surprised to see her dressed and heading for the door.

"Hey," he says.

She turns to face him.

"Sorry, I did not mean to wake you."

"Going somewhere?"

"Da, I was going back to my room. Gi is going to wonder where I am."

"She's a smart girl, she'll figure it out. Come on back here," he says as he pulls back the covers.

"I cannot. What will Gi think?"

"Who cares what she thinks?"

"Wheeler…"

"No, listen. What if I hadn't woken up to see you leaving? What if I woke up and THEN found out you were gone. What was I supposed to think? That you regret what happened? Or do you?"

"Nyet, of course not. I did not think about how that would seem to you."

"What happened tonight was amazing. It took my mind off all the bad things that have gone on. You're the only person that could have done that. I've always been the one chasing you, but tonight, _YOU_ came to _ME_. That makes it even better. But if it didn't mean to you what it meant to me, you gotta tell me now."

Linka steps away from the door and sits on the edge of the bed.

"It meant something to me too. It was everything to me. I never thought it would happen like this, but I do not regret it. Tonight was wonderful."

"Then don't leave. Tonight is not over and it's not supposed to end like this."

"Oh really?" Linka asks, intrigued. "How is it supposed to end?"

"Tomorrow morning, when I wake up and you're the first thing I see. But in the mean time, we're supposed to fall asleep, all curled up and cozy," he says as he wiggles his eyebrows at her.

She hesitates for a moment, then slips off her shoes, disrobes, and crawls under the covers.

Wheeler opens his arms to her and folds them around her as he holds her tight.

"That's more like it," he says as he kisses the top of her head.


	8. Back to Work

The next morning, Linka woke up to someone placing kisses on her shoulders and neck. When she rolled over, she saw Wheeler smiling back at her.

"How are you supposed to be the first thing I see when you're sleeping with your back to me?!"

"I had to roll over…you were snoring in my ear!" she teased.

"I do NOT snore!"

"Well, you sleep with your mouth open so you breathe heavy!"

"Maybe you should shut it for me," he suggests playfully.

"I would if I could, but after all these years I STILL have not figured it out!"

"Ha ha, very funny. It's simple. Let me show you," he says as he places his mouth over hers.

"See?"

"Umm Hmm,"

"I hate to do this, but we should get moving. We're supposed to meet the others for breakfast in an hour," he informs her.

"Ok."

"You want first dibs on the shower?"

"Nyet. I want to lie here a little longer and rest a little longer. You can go first."

"Thanks," he says as he places a kiss on her forehead.

* * *

When Wheeler comes out of the shower, he's got a towel around his waist.

"I can't believe I forgot to take my…whoa."

Linka was sitting up on the bed flipping through the TV channels and wearing one of his Planeteer shirts.

"I hope you do not mind. I needed a longer shirt to cover up with, so I borrowed one of yours until I can get back to my room and get a clean one of my own."

"I don't mind at all. As a matter of fact, I think seeing you in my shirt and nothing else is one of the hottest things I've ever seen!"

Linka blushed, but managed to return the compliment,

"Well, seeing you in nothing but a towel is…nice."

"Nice?! That's all?"

"What I mean is, you look…nice."

"Don't be shy Babe…what you mean is, you're finding it almost impossible to resist the urge to jump my bones!" Wheeler teases.

"What do your bones have to do with anything?" Linka asks with a confused look on her face.

"Never mind. I'm just happy to know that you like what you see. Shower is all yours."

"Thanks," she says as she walks past him and pauses to give him a kiss.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the dining area, Kwame and Ma-Ti decide to go early and get a table. When they arrive, they find that Gi has already beaten them too it.

"Gi! I see you had the same idea we did," Kwame says as he sits down.

"Yeah, I figured it'd be busy and we'd have a hard time finding five seats together so when I saw this table, I grabbed it. I'm glad you guys are here though. I've been getting some pretty nasty looks for taking up so many seats!"

"Where is Linka?" Ma-Ti asks.

"Uh, she was still sleeping when I left."

"That is odd. Linka is usually an early riser," Kwame says.

"Um, yeah. She went to talk to Wheeler last night. To try and get him to focus on the positive instead of the negative, I guess. I was tired so I went to bed before she came back. I figured she was tired, so I let her sleep. I came here to work on my speech so I didn't disturb her."

"I will call her and Wheeler in a few minutes to tell them we are here and where we are sitting," Kwame says.

"I hope Wheeler is doing better today. He was taking the news of Greedly getting off the hook pretty hard," Ma-Ti says.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Gi said knowingly.

* * *

After Linka is finished showering, she comes out of the bathroom wearing her shorts and Wheeler's shirt, but she has it half tucked in just like he does. It was so big on her, if she left it out, it would cover her shorts, but she couldn't tuck it all the way in because it was too bulky. Wheeler chuckles when he sees her.

"Do not say a word!" Linka warns.

"Ok, then I guess you're not interested in knowing that the others are already waiting."

"Are we late? I thought we still had 10 more minutes."

"No, Ma-Ti and Kwame went down early and found Gi already there. Kwame called to tell me where they were sitting. He said he called your cell too, but you didn't answer. I told him that maybe you were in the shower getting ready. So he asked me to stop by your room and let you know."

They go back to Linka's room where she changes into her Planeteer shirt.

"I will wash your shirt and return it to you."

"Nah, keep it. It'll make a nice night gown for you!" Wheeler offers.

"Spasiba. Ready to go?"

"Almost. How's about one more kiss before we report to duty?" he asks hopefully.

"Ok. A kiss for luck."

Wheeler takes both her hands in his and pulls her to him.

"We don't need luck. We're the good guys, we're gonna win," he proclaims as he tilts his head and they kiss. "We GOTTA win; For Bravo and his new family. That little foal will NEVER see the inside of a slaughterhouse."

"I never knew you could be such a sensitive guy Yankee."

"Sorry."

"Don't be…I like it," she says as she pulls back slightly to look up at him, but leaves her arms slung around his waist.

"You do?"

"Da. Now let us go so we are not late."

* * *

They walk hand in hand until they get to the dining area and spot the others and see that they have already gotten their breakfast. Wheeler places his hand on the small of Linka's back and steers her through the crowd to the buffet where they fill their plates with food. Once they reach their table, he pulls out her chair for her and waits until she is seated. The other's immediately notice this chivalrous, but un-Wheeler-like behavior but don't say anything. Linka however can't help but laugh. The other's soon join her.

"What? I can't be a nice guy?" Wheeler says, mocking offense.

"Sorry my friend…it is just…in all the years that I have known you, I do not think I have ever seen you do that!" Ma-Ti says.

"Any particular reason for this sudden urge to show some chivalry?" Gi asks.

"I saw it in a movie once," he explains.

"Well, I am glad to see that you are back to your usual self…with the exception of the improved manners…we were worried about you last night," Kwame says.

"I know. Thanks. I just needed to blow off some steam and pull myself together. I feel like a new man today though."

Gi smiles and tries to catch Linka's eye, but suddenly, the Russian beauty is fascinated with buttering her toast and won't look up. She's starting to regret that she didn't sneak back into her and Gi's room before Gi awoke.

"Linka? Helloooo, Earth to Linka…" Kwame says as he waves his hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her reverie.

"Huh? Da, what?"

"I said, what about you? How are you feeling?"

"Good. I am good. Why wouldn't I be?" She stammers.

"Because Gi said you were still sleeping when she came down here. It is not like you to sleep in. We were wondering if you were not feeling well, that is all," Kwame explains.

"Oh. No, I am feeling fine. Never better actually. It was just a long exhausting day yesterday," she admitted.

"I know the feeling. I told them I convinced you to go talk to Wheeler and was so tired, I never even heard you come back into the room," Gi says, trying to let Linka know in 'girl code' what she had told the boys.

"Da, I went to talk to Wheeler to make sure he was ok. We stayed up rather late, um, talking. I did not get to sleep until much later than I am used to."

"Yeah, we talked…ALOT," Wheeler adds.

Linka does not appreciate the innuendo and kicks him under the table. He continues,

"I'm glad she was there for me. It was exactly what I needed."

"We are all here for you Wheeler. If all you needed was someone to talk to, all you had to do was ask," Ma-Ti says, a bit hurt that his best friend did not come to him with his problems.

"Uh, yeah, I know Ma-Ti. But you know…Linka's always had a way of being able to talk sense into me…and besides, I never could win an argument with her! I don't think anyone else would have been able to get through to me…no offense."

"I understand."

It was true. No matter how much Wheeler argued with Linka, he was also more likely to admit he was wrong to her than he was to anyone else.

"So did you guys talk about what you were going to say in front of the Senate today?" Kwame asks.

"Uhhh. Yeah. Um, probably pretty much the same thing we told the majority leader when we met with him. Right Babe?"

"Da, and we came up with a list of the questions that the senators that we visited had for us because I am sure that many of them have the same concerns. So if we address that, it will probably answer many questions that some of them that are on the railing have."

"It's 'on the fence' Linka."

"Whatever."

"Do you have it?" Kwame inquires.

"Have what?" Wheeler asks.

"The list of questions Linka said you guys came up with," Kwame replies.

"Oh. Umm. Yeah. Probably in my pocket."

Wheeler checks all the pockets in his jeans, then in his jacket. He knows he won't find anything because no such list exists, but he has to keep up appearances.

"Wheeeeeeler," Linka says feigning disappointment, "did you lose the list?"

"NO! I uh, probably left it in my room…on the counter…where we wrote it."

Linka pretends to be frustrated with him and says, "It figures. You would forget your head if it were not attached."

Wheeler thought to himself, "Hey! Why am I being blamed for being the irresponsible one? Let's see how she likes it."

"Wait a minute. I know where it is," he says.

"You do?"

"Yeah…I gave it to you!" Wheeler says smugly.

Now all eyes are on Linka.

"No you did not."

"Yeah I did. And you put it in your back pocket and then you left. You don't think that maybe it fell out do you? I mean, your pockets can't be that deep because your shorts are so small."

The others fought the urge to laugh. Linka fought the urge to hit him. She lost that battle. Before Wheeler had a chance to react, Linka whacked his arm as hard as she could and muttered something in Russian.

"OW!" Wheeler exclaimed, rubbing his arm.

This caused the others to burst into laughter.

"It's not a big deal," Gi says, knowing that the list is most likely fictional. "It should be easy enough to come up with another list."

"Yeah. What'd ya say Babe? Wanna go back to my room and make another list?"

"Nyet. I think I will just keep track of the questions in my head."

"Ok…but for what it's worth, I like your small shorts," he teases.

"Shut up."

"You started it."

"Hey Linka, do you mind reading over my observations? I want to make sure it's thorough, but not too graphic," Gi interrupts.

"Da, sure," Linka says as she moves to the empty seat next to Gi.

Once Linka is certain the boys are distracted by their own conversations, she whispers to Gi,

"Thank you for covering for me. I was going to come back to our room, but…it did not seem right to leave."

"Sure. They didn't need to know. Sooooooo. Things seem different between you two. We all noticed it yesterday morning when we spoke over the video call."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. And now this morning…he's all smiles after being in such a foul mood last night and you're…gazing at him."

"I am not!"

"Yes you are! Even when you were arguing just now, there was a twinkle in your eye," Gi asserts.

"Gi, I think you have been reading too many romance novels. I do not _GAZE_ at Wheeler."

"Oh puh-leaze Linka! You might be able to fool the boys, but I _KNOW_ you didn't stay up all night _JUST_ talking."

"GI!! Please. Keep your voice down," Linka whispers. "And how do you expect me to read your speech if you keep distracting me?"

"I don't need you to read that, I was just using that as an excuse to get you over here to talk to you. So spill it Linka. What's up with you and Wheeler?"

"There has always been something between Wheeler and me. This mission has been very emotionally draining. He has really opened up and shown a side I have never seen…and I like it. He has always put on this tough guy act, to the point where it was annoying. Now he is showing a more sensitive side. We have shared stories, shared victories, cried together, I have fought beside him, and with him. I have comforted him and he has comforted me. So yes, things between us are different. They have changed. This mission has brought us closer."

"So does that mean you're officially a couple?"

"It means…I only want to be with him and I hope he feels the same."

"Oh Linka that's great! And you know he does. Everyone has known for years how Wheeler feels about you, except you!"

"I knew. I just did not know how to react to it," admits Linka.

"So last night…did you…you know?"

"Fall asleep watching TV? Da, we did."

"Really?"

"Mind your own business Gi!" Linka says with a smile, but cannot stop herself from blushing.

"I KNEW IT!!"

"SSSSSSHHH!!"

When the girls start to giggle, the boys looked over at them, but the girls were oblivious to the attention they were getting.

"What do you suppose that is about?" Kwame asks.

"It cannot be about Gi's speech. There is nothing funny about what we witnessed," Ma-Ti states.

"It's probably just girl talk," Wheeler says.

"Girl talk? What is that?"

"You know, Ma-Ti. When girls talk about girly things. Things they can only share with their girl friends. Like, for example…Gi's probably teasing Linka about going to my room."

"So did you _REALLY_ just talk?"

"We talked...and...well, one thing led to another...and I think it's safe to say, I'm done having to chase her! We're **FINALLY** on the right track."

"Good for you. It is about time," Kwame says.

"Wait, should we be talking about this? Is it not kind of personal?" Ma-Ti asks guiltily.

"Nah, little buddy. It's just guy talk. They have their girl talk, we have our guy talk…just don't tell Linka that I told you. You know how shy she is."

"I do not understand. If she did not want anyone to know, why did you tell us?"

"Because I'm so happy, I want everyone to know. I wanna stand on top of this table and yell 'hey, see this girl right here? She's mine!' But I don't think that would go over so well with her, so instead I gotta tell you guys because you're my best friends, and I want to share my happiness with you."

"I am happy for you both. It has taken a long time for you to get to this point," Kwame says.

"Yeah it has! But I hafta admit, it's going to be hard to keep my hands off her while we're working."

Kwame starts to chuckle.

"What?" Wheeler asks.

"I am sorry my friend. I am just finding it really hard to feel sorry for you. I mean, if having a beautiful girlfriend is your biggest problem, then you are one lucky man."

"I agree with Kwame!" Ma-Ti jokes.

"Well, at least something good has come out of this whole ordeal. Hopefully the good news keeps coming," Wheeler says.

Linka takes her original seat next to Wheeler,

"Did I hear something about good news?" she asks.

"Yeah, I was just saying I hope we get some," Wheeler covers.

She puts her laptop in front of Wheeler and points to the screen.

"Then I think you will be happy to know that I just got an email from the doctor who did the surgery on Bravo. He said that Bravo came out of the anesthesia just fine and seems to be able to put weight on his leg. He is alert and playful. The mare and foal are also doing fine and the blood tests confirm that Bravo is the father!" She says excitedly.

"That's awesome!"

"Gi has emailed me the pictures that she, Ma-Ti, and Kwame took at the auction. I have also downloaded the pictures that we took after getting the horses out of the trailer. I am going to try to put together a slide show using those pictures and others that I have gotten off the internet."

"Good idea Babe. A little visual aid could go a long way in getting them to see our point. It's one thing to describe it, but as they say, 'a picture is worth a thousand words.'"

They share with each other the things that they plan on saying and practice saying their parts and decide who will speak and when. They confer with Linka so that her slideshow flows with their talking points. After a couple of quick rehearsals, they feel confident that their presentation is solid.

"We should probably get going," Kwame urges as he stands up and leads the group out of the dining area, followed by Gi, Ma-Ti, Linka, and then Wheeler. Linka puts her hand behind her back and wiggles her fingers. Wheeler takes the hint, reaches out to take her hand, and gives it a squeeze. If these are the little things that Linka will allow to occur during missions, then he will gladly comply.


	9. Politicianteers

A/N: A girl named Jen Swanson went to a horse auction, took note of the conditions, followed one of the trailers from the auction all the way to the slaughter house, and described it in detail at a speech. I could never do that, so I'll just take her word for it and do my best to remember how she described it (but also add the Planteer's perspective to it).

* * *

The Planeteers arrive at the Senate and are greeted by the Majority Leader and the Speaker of the House. They are given instructions as to when they will be speaking and how much time they will have.

Linka sets up her laptop to the overhead projector so that the Planeteers can use visual aids to help make their point and hopefully, open the eyes of those who've been walking around with them closed or even worse, **CHOOSING **to look the other way.

When the Planeteers were introduced they took their places at the podium and stood before the United States Senate. They could play a huge role in getting The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act passed into law.

It was decided that since Wheeler was the American of the group, it would be best if he started. He takes a deep breath, looks at Linka, and winks at her when she smiles and mouths "good luck" to him. He decided to come up with his own clever way of doing something that will stick in the minds of the Senators.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen. Some of you may remember me and my friend Linka here from meeting with us and hearing our ideas and arguments against horse slaughter. Thank you for meeting with us then, and thank you for attending this presentation today. Some of you agreed to sign on as co-sponsors, some of you flat out said no, and some of you said you were supportive of the bill, but not sure you wanted to co-sponsor because it may anger some of your constituents. I hope that when you see and hear what we have witnessed and discovered in just two short days, you will find it easier to make up your mind…and those of you that were sure that you would not be supportive of this bill, maybe seeing and hearing the details will make you reconsider. On behalf of the other Planeteers, I'd like to thank the Senate Majority Leader, the Minority Leader, and the Vice President for giving us this opportunity to address you. We are honored to be here today. I remember learning about how a bill became a law in school when I was a kid, but I never thought I'd actually get to witness it and be a part of the process as an adult…So this is pretty cool. Throughout our speech you will hear snaps," he plays the sound to demonstrate, then continues,

"They may become annoying to you, but it is to remind you that every time you hear a snap, an innocent horse is being slaughtered. His pleas were not answered. His horror is just beginning."

Kwame picks up where Wheeler left off,

"But every week there are hundreds to thousands of horses going to slaughter. I personally went on this trip, from the beginning at a horse auction in Pennsylvania to the end, 3 miles from the Mexican border in Texas. 3 more miles and these horses would have faced a fate, a torture, far worse that what they had already been through. I witnessed what happens. I saw the horses in the kill pen at the auction. I saw a man _LYING_ to unsuspecting sellers trying to get them to sell their beloved horse to him so he could sell it to slaughter. He told them that the horse was for his daughter and that he was going to give it a good home. If I had not been there and overheard, and known for a fact that this man has no children, their pet might not be alive today."

Ma-Ti stepped in with his part,

"Kwame, Gi, and I spent two days following a double-decker trailer hauling slaughter bound horses. They had no food or water. No chance to get out and stretch. When we finally got them out, we were not prepared for what we saw." On the screen behind him, the pictures that Wheeler and Linka had taken while waiting for the Humane Society workers to arrive were being shown. "Horses covered in blood, their own, and from the other wounded horses. In their cramped space, they have bitten, kicked, and fought with each other. They have broken their legs, either from kicking the walls of the trailer, being kicked by another horse, or falling in the trailer. The horses on the bottom level are covered in manure from the horses on the top level. Four horses died during the trip, from either exhaustion, dehydration, or heart attacks from the stress. Six others were injured so badly, they had to be euthanized. The ones we could not save, I saw the looks in their eyes. My heart broke to the point of making a hole in it that can never be filled."

Gi was next to take the podium.

"This changed me and now I must make others see what I have seen. As we sit here horses are crammed in a pen awaiting a truck to pick them up. They are afraid, they do not know why they are there or where they are going. The trucks will arrive and the horses yearlings and foals will be pushed, hit, electric prodded and beaten in order to load. Large stallions, small foals, ponies and racehorses will be loaded together in an overcrowded truck. Some will die in route. Hundreds of thousands will be transported over the border into Mexico and Canada. They will not have water they will not be taken off to rest. If the driver stops to sleep the horses will stay in the truck. If a horse or foal has fallen he or she will be stepped on and will die. Some of the horses on this truck have broken legs, backs, pelvises, etc. As I say this, you must be thinking that is against the law and you are right, it is. But it is happening. I have witnessed it."

Linka steps forward,

"At first, I thought that I would focus on the good that we have accomplished, and celebrate the ones that have been saved. Then I realized that in doing so, I would be doing an injustice to the horses that were not saved. Not just the ones in the trailer, but the ones at the auctions, the ones waiting in the feedlots, or the ones being lead out of the kill pen and into the slaughterhouse as we speak. Today, we will celebrate the lives that have been saved, but we will think about the poor innocent lives that were lost in a cruel and tortuous manner. Tears will be shed, including mine, for today and every day and night, a part of my heart and soul is with the horses we could not save."

Now Wheeler continues,

"Maybe you've been lead to believe that the only horses being slaughtered are old, injured, sick, mean horses than can't be tamed. This is a lie. Colts, fillies, yearlings, foals, pregnant mares, stallions that should have been gelded and even mares with their babies at their sides are going to slaughter. They will arrive at the slaughter plants; some will have died on the truck, an inhumane death. But it came early for them, the suffering has ended. Maybe they are the lucky ones. For the ones that have arrived alive, their hell has just begun. At the slaughter plants, they will again be crammed into pens ALL TOGETHER still deprived of water or food."

Once again, Linka takes over,

"The ones that go to Mexico will endure a torturous death that is beyond belief. It is hard for us to imagine the torture because we are all humane individuals. We think this cannot be happening but it does. In Mexico, they are stabbed repeatedly in the neck and back until the spine is severed. In a video I saw, as a horse was being stabbed by a slaughterhouse worker, the worker was being cheered on by his fellow butchers, and when the horse finally went down, a chorus of cheers can be heard. That is unprofessional behavior, inhumane, and no way to end an animal's life. I can still hear their cheers in my mind, but the thing that haunts me the most are the cries of the horse, and the look of terror and pain in his eyes. Think I am exaggerating? See for yourselves." She plays the video and turns her back to the screen, refusing to look, but unable to block out the sounds.

Wheeler stands beside her, puts his arm around her shoulder, and gives her a comforting squeeze. He whispers, "You're doin' good. You ok?" When she nods, he removes his hand from her shoulder, but leaves it on the small of her back while she continues,

"Although Mexico is the worst, Canada is not much better. As I look out, I can see in your faces some of you fear that I am going to continue on this avenue. I am not. Many of us, including myself, live with this knowledge everyday. It sits in the heart of our mind and soul and it will never go away. It prevents true happiness and inhibits any feeling of true accomplishment where horse rescue is concerned."

Wheeler picks up where she left off,

"Yesterday, we saved a truckload of horses from slaughter. Unfortunately, as Ma-Ti mentioned earlier, 10 of those horses died. Four died during the trip, and six had to be euthanized because of their injuries. Linka and I were with those horses during their last moments. We helped clean them off and were with the vets as they assessed the horses' injuries. We stayed with these horses and fed them their last meals, making sure that they knew that they would no longer have to suffer, and that there were people out there who cared. I can no longer go to a horse race, horse show, or any type of equine entertainment and enjoy it. Every horse I see, I wonder 'where will he or she be in a few years, what will be their end? Will it be in loving hands with a gentle touch or will it be hell here on earth?'"

Ma-Ti is next to speak once again,

"From now on, every horse I see, I will say a prayer for and I can only hope it is heard. It is the same prayer I have been saying since we started this rescue mission,

Let them be born free.  
Let them live a life of peace.  
And in the end, when their time on Earth is finished,  
Let them die as they have lived: peaceful, free, and without pain."

Kwame speaks next and directs everyone's attention to the pictures on the screen,

"In back there is Emily Vernon foal pavilion. These are nurse mare foals, another one of your country's dirty little secrets. When you look at them, remember they were born to be orphaned and die. They were born just so their mom could nurse a more expensive baby and that baby's mom will go on to be bred again. Race or show, she will not save her baby. A mare is taken from her baby and another baby is left to die. All in the name of money."

The next picture shows a completely different scenario,

"This is a rescue facility. On this farm, you will see yearlings and foals. They are all safe. Be happy for these horses. They are healthy and full of personality."

Linka speaks once more,

"I am not going to force you to live with this. I will let you make that decision for yourselves. I will leave you with one fact; when slaughtering a horse for human consumption, it is imperative that the heart stays beating as long as possible. Our brain has a place that it keeps evil. It tucks it away so that we do not have to think of it everyday. When you are alone, let your mind go there. Imagine the worst. You will not be wrong."

Wheeler closes out the argument with these parting words,

"Today, our presentation may have caused you much discomfort and for that, we are sorry. But we need you to know why we are here. We must do this because they cannot speak. We must speak for them. We are their voice."

The Senators politely and respectfully clap for the Planeteers' well organized presentation. The sponsors and co-sponsors of the bill stand up and clap. The five Planeteers stand side by side and accept their accolades. Linka slides her hand into Wheeler's and he squeezes her fingers. He presses his lips against her ear and whispers,

"I could get used to this…'Wheeler for President.' How's that sound Babe?"

"Weird," she whispers back and smiles.

"Well for what it's worth, I think you'd be the most beautiful First Lady ever."

"Hmm, a Russian in the White House…that could be interesting. Could keep many people from voting for you though. But on the other hand, it could be very good for your foreign relations," she teases.

"You're the only foreigner I plan on having relations with Babe," he chuckles as she gives him a playful elbow to the ribs.

* * *

I've got one more chapter partially written and then I think I'll wrap it up.


	10. Goodnight

LouiseX...ask and you shall receive! Here's the next chapter.

Later that night, the Planeteers were back on Hope Island. It had been a long, tiring few days and they were all in serious need of re-charging. Everyone was in bed by nine, even Wheeler who was generally a night owl. As the night went on, all was quiet on the island. Until…

"Linka…Linka, wake up Babe," Wheeler says in a low voice outside her window.

Linka groans and rolls over, away from the noise, and pulls the covers over her head. Maybe if she ignores him, he'll go away.

"LINK-AAAAA!" He reaches down and shakes her.

She thought that having her bed so close to the window would be nice, the sounds of the waves lapping against the shore, the birds singing, the breeze, the sun waking her up…it seemed like a good idea at the time, but now she immediately regrets not taking into consideration the Yankee and his weird sleeping habits.

"WHAT?!"

"C'mere."

"Wheeleeeeeer," she whines, "I am tired. What time is it?"

"3:30ish."

"Why are you not asleep?"

"I was. But then I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep."

"So you decided to come wake me up?"

"I need to tell you something."

"And it could not wait until morning?"

"No, because it would be irrelevant in the morning," he says.

"What is it?"

"Sit up," he says as he leans through her window.

She reluctantly does as he requests and is shocked when he suddenly pulls her into a kiss. She no sooner responds when he pulls away and says,

"Goodnight."

"Excuse me?"

"Goodnight. We didn't get a chance to say a proper goodnight tonight since we had an audience, so I came over to fix that."

"At 3:30 in the morning?!" she asks angrily.

"Yep. That's what was keeping me up! I missed you. I guess I got used to having you next to me."

"After two nights, now all of a sudden you can not sleep without me?"

"Yeah."

"Liar."

"Well, I _CAN_ sleep without you, I just don't _WANT_ to," he admits.

She puts her hand behind his head and pulls him into another kiss. She begins to lie back down, bringing him with her until he can no longer lean into the window.

"Oww, Babe, let go. I can't bend anymore. The window sill is digging into my gut," he utters against her lips.

"Too bad. Should have thought about that before you woke me up," she says, refusing to let him go.

"Fine," he says "But just remember, you brought this upon yourself,"

"Brought what…?"

But before she could finish, he pulls himself up, slides through her window, and lands in her bed, not once breaking contact with her lips.

"Wheeler!" she squeals.

"Told you so," he whispers as he buries his face against her neck.

"Wait. Stop. Go lock the door."

"It's already locked."

"I am not joking. Go check it."

"I'm not joking either. It's locked. Why do you think I had to go to your window?" He asks as he kisses the tip of her nose.

"You mean go _THROUGH_ my window," she corrects.

"No, I went _TO_ your window. You're the one that pulled me _THROUGH_ it."

"Are you saying you did not want me to pull you through it?"

"Not at all. As a matter of fact, I'm kinda glad you did," he murmurs while kissing her neck.

"Mmm, I am kinda glad I did too," she says as she runs her hands through his hair and down his cheek.

"Still tired?" he asks.

"Nyet. Wide awake now."

"Good."

"Wheeler…"

"Hmm?"

"Shut the blinds."

"Seriously? Damn Babe. Paranoid much?"

"Sorry, I do not want anyone that could be walking by to see into my room."

"Do people often come strolling by your window at 3:30 in the morning?"

"Nyet, just you…and maybe Suchi…one can never be too careful."

"You're right, it would be kinda weird being caught _monkeyin' around_ by a monkey!"

* * *

While Linka lay wrapped in Wheeler's arms, she ran her fingers over the gauze bandages that covered the wound from where Bravo had bitten him during the rescue.

"How is this doing?" she asks.

"Ok. It's bruised pretty good, but the cuts don't look infected. I think you got it cleaned up and bandaged good enough when it first happened. It'll be fine…which reminds me! Before I came here, we both got an email from Bravo's vet. A rancher in Texas identified Bravo, whose real name is Sereno, and the pregnant mare as the two horses that were stolen from his land. Her name is Calypso. He has their papers and their lip tattoos match the paperwork. He's taking over the payments on the vet bill, paying us back for what we've already put down, and said that we are welcome to visit the happy family anytime we feel like it! The vet said the rancher is a good guy. Sereno and Calypso are thoroughbreds that he took in after they were retired from the track. He has several Off Track Thoroughbreds that he gives homes to after they retire."

"That is great news! So Bravo…I mean, Sereno was one of the horses that the others saw being stolen? At least for his and Calypso's sake, they did not have to endure such a long trip. The outcome could have been not so good for their foal."

"Yeah, they were lucky. Here's the cool part…the rancher heard that we had sort of adopted him and named him Bravo. Well, he thought the name was cool, so he's going to call the foal Bravo!"

"That is so cool. At least we have that."

"Yeah. We have that."

After a few moments of silence, Linka raises up on her elbow and looks at Wheeler.

"Wheeler…?"

"Yeah."

"That is not all we have. Alot of good has come from this mission."

"Yeah. I think we made an impact on the Senators."

"Da…but that is not what I meant. I mean us."

"Oh yeah?" he says, hoping to get her to open up some more.

"Da. I am glad you came here tonight. And…I do not want you to have to sneak around anymore. I want you to come in through the door, not the window…and not at 3:30 in the morning. I want you to come to me and me to go to you whenever we want, and I do not want to feel like we are hiding from the others. I want everyone to know."

"I want all those things too Babe," he says while he twirls a strand of her hair around his finger.

"Good…so you will stay here tonight?"

"For as long as you want me to."

"Remember in DC when you said the night is not over until we wake up and we are the first thing each other sees?"

"Yeah."

"That's how long I want you to be here."

"Then that's how long I'll stay."

Ok, I know I said last time that I probably only had 1 chapter left, but I lied. What I had was longer than I thought, so I split it up. NOW I think the next one will be the last chapter.


	11. Innocence

**A/N:** Well, this is it! Last chapter. When I started proof reading this chapter this morning, I thought for sure that when I posted it, I'd be dedicating it to the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years...but the drought continues (Don't worry, next year, a colt named Nicanor will win it...you heard it here first!). Big Brown is a hell of a horse though, and alot of people are down on horse racing and consider it cruel (and it can be, especially to the horses that don't go fast enough...they end up like the horses in this story), but I just want to point out that once his jockey, Kent Desormeaux, knew that they were not going to win the race, or even get a good finish, he eased the horse up and stopped racing him hard, even though Big Brown was fighting him and wanted to keep running. Desormeaux said that he did it because Big Brown was "the best horse I've ever been on, so I took care of him." It wasn't about the money, or the recognition...it was about the horse, as it should ALWAYS be. And in his last race (the Preakness), Desormeaux didn't use the whip at all...he didn't need to because the horse knew when to run. They should all be trained that way! Knowing when to run without being whipped is also a sign that Big Brown is a very intelligent horse, so maybe he just didn't feel like running today...it was 90+degrees and humid...would YOU run a mile and a half on a day like today? Of course not...and maybe he was thinking "Why are we running? It's too damn hot," so he took it easy! I just wanted to give recognition to a great horse who shouldn't be remembered for a disappointing Belmont Stakes, but an awesome Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, and acknowledge his jockey, who is a classy guy. And congrats to Da'Tara who was a 79-1 longshot and led from start to finish! That's pretty impressive for a horse that no one expected to win!

And I'd like to point out that I named the horse that Wheeler and Linka saved "Bravo" for a reason. There is a horse running this year whose name is "Yankee Bravo," and when I heard it, I thought of Wheeler. There's also a horse named "Pyro" who is one of my favorites. Then there are two horses that made me think of Linka when I first heard their names, "Fierce Wind," and "Smooth Air." I actually met a guy who knows Smooth Air's owners. He was in my store and we somehow got to talking about horse racing. It was just a few days before the Florida Derby and he told me to keep an eye out for Smooth Air during the race. Well Big Brown was my favorite horse to win that race, but I was also pulling for Smooth Air. He came in 2nd to Big Brown! Fierce Wind was also in that race, but finished 10th.

Now back to the story! Thanks for sticking with me through all the "real/educational" stuff. I hope you didn't mind putting up with it, but it led to some Wheeler and Linka stuff that I hadn't planned on doing (I wanted to try and stay closer to the show), but it happens! Besides, I don't know about you, but I watched the show because of Wheeler and Linka, not because of the environmental issues.

I have to apologize to Gi in this one (and to her fans). I was in a bad mood when I wrote it and frustrated with a friend, so Gi took the brunt of my anger because I saw a few similarities between my friend and her!

* * *

They woke up the next morning…more like afternoon, feeling well rested.

"Good morning princess."

"Princess? You have not called me that in a long time."

"Not since the last time we were in DC causing trouble!"

"Da."

"So, this is ok with you? Me sneaking into your cabin?"

"Nyet. I told you last night, it is not ok. I do not want any 'sneaking' anymore."

"Well, I just didn't want you to think that I was some sex crazed maniac. I mean, I CAN control myself…I just don't want to!"

Linka blushes.

"I do not want you to either. Last night was even better than the night before. Perhaps it was because we are home and I was more relaxed."

"That's because it's new and exciting…that stops when you're old and married…that's what I hear anyways," he jokes.

"I do not think I could ever get bored with you, even after many years of marriage."

"Are you proposing to me?" he teases.

"NYET! I am just saying…" she sighs in frustration, trying to compose her thoughts, "I have wasted so much time. I do not want to waste anymore, but I will not take for granted the time that we do have. No matter how long it lasts, I will cherish every moment. But I hope it lasts a very long time."

"Is forever long enough?" he asks as he pulls her tightly against him. "Think you can put up with me for that long?"

"Da, forever sounds nice…and I think I can handle you. I guess I will have to since I do not want anyone else _BUT_ you."

"Is that so?"

"Da. I have built up a tolerance to you…May as well stick with you," she says as she places a quick kiss on his lips. "Bozhe moy! Look at the time!"

"What? It's only 12:30."

"That may be early for you Yankee, but for me to sleep this late…the others are going to think I am dead!"

"Then maybe I should give you some mouth to mouth…oh wait. I almost forgot." He reaches over the edge of the bed, grabs his jeans, and reaches into his pocket. "Mints." He says while shaking the container and popping a few in his mouth.

Linka laughs loudly at his silliness and grabs for the mints. "Give me some of those."

"Come get 'em," he teases, pulling her against him and kissing her, causing her to giggle.

Then a knock on the door,

"Linka? You're finally awake! What's so funny?"

"Bozhe moy," Wheeler whispers as he leans his forehead against hers.

"Nyet, more like 'chort voz mi,'" she whispers back. "**Da Gi, I am awake. Just checking my email**," she yells to her friend.

"You haven't heard from Wheeler today have you? No one has seen him."

"**Maybe he is swimming**," she suggests as she pulls on the t-shirt she was sleeping in.

"No, Ma-Ti and Kwame are out there. I was going to join them and thought I'd see if you wanted to come too."

"**Maybe he is surfing on the other side of the island. I know he has said before that the waves over there are better**." She then turns to Wheeler and whispers, "you have to go."

"Hey, what happened to not hiding from anyone?"

"Can I come in?" They can hear Gi turning the knob. "Why is your door locked?"

"**I always lock it**," Linka yells. Then quietly says to Wheeler, "This is not how I wanted everyone to find out. Gi already has her suspicions."

"You mean you didn't tell her?" he whispers back.

"It was...implied. I just…I do not want to deal with her seeing us like this. You know how she over reacts. Now, get your Yankee butt out that window. **Hold on Gi, I will be right there as soon as I finish this email**."

"Ok. Take your time."

"Uh, Babe…" Wheeler says as he hops on one leg trying to pull up his jeans.

"What?!"

"Kwame and Ma-Ti are on the beach," he says, while pointing out the window. "They're gonna see me climbing out the window."

"Then get under the bed."

"You're joking right?"

"Nyet, now go!" she hisses.

"I can't fit under there, plus, that's the first place she's gonna look!"

"She's not going to look!"

"Babe, Gi is the freakin' nosiest person on this island…she might not blatantly bend down and look, but she'll slyly drop something and have to bend down and pick it up…or sit on the bed and bounce extra hard so it squishes me…"

Linka stops his rambling by pressing her lips against his. She puts her hand on his chest and pushes him towards the bathroom. "Then hide in here," she says, closing the door.

Linka glances at her reflection in the mirror, quickly pulling her hair back, rubbing at her swollen lips, and straightening her nightshirt. Once satisfied with her appearance, she walks over to the door, unlocks it, and opens it to Gi. She can't help but notice Gi glancing around the room, as if she's looking for something. When her gaze finally lands on Linka, she's shocked.

"Hey! That's Wheeler's shirt!"

"Oh. Da. He gave it to me to sleep in when we were in DC and I fell asleep in his room."

"Fell asleep. Right," Gi teases. "I feel like I'm interrupting you. Were you busy?"

"Nyet, I am just having a lazy day. I stayed in bed longer than I am used to and had a hard time getting up. Plus, my feet are killing me from all the walking we did in DC. And then I was checking my email and I got one from the veterinarian that is treating Wheeler's horse."

"The one you guys were calling Bravo?"

"Da. It turns out, he was one of the horses that you saw Rigger stealing in Texas. The rancher that owns them has claimed them. The mare that gave birth was also his. The mare was bred to Bravo, whose name is really Sereno. So, the rancher has decided to name the foal Bravo instead! Is that cool or what?"

"Yes. That's a great story. And good news. I'm glad their owner will be reunited with them."

"Soooo, did you want something?" Linka asks.

"Just to see if you wanted to go for a swim," Gi says as she plops down on Linka's bed.

Linka grimaces. If Wheeler had been under the bed, that could have been painful.

"Something wrong?" Gi asks.

"Nyet. Swimming sounds like fun. I will meet you out there as soon as I get dressed. I could use a shower first though," Linka heads to the door, hoping Gi will follow her and leave.

"Isn't it kind of pointless to get a shower before swimming?"

"Uhh, I need to shave."

"Oh ok. Do you think I can use your bathroom real quick before I go?"

"Umm, I would kind of like to hurry up and get my shower. Can you not use yours instead?"

"I guess. I just thought I'd use yours so I didn't have to go back to my cabin and then back to the beach…but I don't want to disturb Wheeler in his genius hiding place."

"What?!" Linka laughs nervously.

"Come on out Wheeler!" Gi shouts in a singsong voice while pounding on the bathroom door.

"It is ok Yankee. Come out."

"Thanks for letting me use your bathroom Babe…it's all yours Gi."

Linka rolls her eyes. "Give it up, Dorogaya moya. She's too smart for us."

"More like too nosey," Wheeler grumbles.

"I'm not nosey, just inquisitive."

"Inquisitive is just a nice way to say nosey! Either way, your need to butt in ruined a perfect morning."

"Wheeler, stop. It is not a big deal."

"I'm sorry Babe, but yes it is. When you start worrying about having the others constantly busting in and interrupting for juvenile reasons, like catching us, it's a big deal. And when you try to sneak me out of windows and under the bed, and into bathrooms, then it becomes a big deal. We're not kids. We don't need to hide what's going on from anyone, and we shouldn't feel embarrassed by it…especially around our friends. So grow up Gi. Stop acting like you've never seen two people in a relationship before. Or like the bratty little sister who needs to spy."

"Wheeler that is **ENOUGH**! I am sorry Gi. Will you excuse us for a minute?"

"Yeah. I'll see you at the beach if you still feel like going for a swim." When Gi got to the doorway, she stops, chuckles, and jokes, "It's kind of embarrassing when Wheeler is the one who has to tell me to grow up, huh?" It was clear that her pride was hurt more than her feelings.

"I didn't mean to be hurtful, Gi. You just needed to hear that…and I'm not very good at being subtle."

"It's ok. I'm not very good at picking up subtleties," she says as she leaves the room.

"Well it is not ok with me. Wheeler, she is our friend. You should not have yelled at her like that."

"I didn't yell."

"You were mean."

"I apologized…sort of."

Linka looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"Look Babe, she needed to hear that. Admit it. She does have a tendency to gossip. I bet if you look out that window right now, she's probably telling the guys everything."

Sure enough, when they look out the window, Gi is chatting it up with Ma-Ti and Kwame and pointing back to Linka's cabin. Linka just shakes her head.

"Well, at least everyone knows now."

"They already knew."

"What?!"

"Umm, I may have mentioned it to them."

"When?"

"At breakfast yesterday," he confesses.

"Oh, and I suppose it just came up in casual conversation?"

"Not exactly. It was more like me letting them know why I was so happy."

"So then, what is the big deal about Gi telling them if they already know?"

"That's just it. They know, and they're happy for us…but other than that, they don't care. They're not going to 'ooh and ah' every time we hold hands or kiss. And they're definitely not going to hover outside the door looking for clues of a rendezvous!"

"That is because they are boys. Girls are different. We are romantics. If Gi was sneaking around with a boy, I would be doing the same thing she is. And with me not being very forthcoming with details on my personal life…she _has_ to snoop if she wants any information."

"Ok. I'll apologize again. More sincerely next time. I guess maybe I was still a little angry at her for not being 100 percent onboard with us at the beginning of our last mission," he admits.

"Oh Lyubimaya. She came around. I told you she would…just like you always do when you are wrong!" she says, putting her hands behind his neck and pulling his head down so that it's touching hers. "Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to get a shower."

Wheeler holds onto her for a little while longer and pulls her into a kiss.

"I'd like to get a shower too," he says suggestively.

"If you are suggesting what I think you are suggesting…forget it!"

"Aw, c'mon! Who's gonna wash my back?!"

"Same person that has always washed it…YOU!" she counters.

"What's the matter Babe? Why so shy all of a sudden? It's not like I haven't seen you…"

"I know. But you know me. That is a little too…wild for me. Is that what I am meaning to say?"

He pulls her tightly against him and speaks softly into her ear,

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Wild works. But picture this…You. Me. Bubbles trailing down my body, from my shoulders, down my chest and abs…the water falling down on our heads. And lots of kissing." He nips at her ear lobe and smiles when she gasps.

"I do not know…it sounds nice, but embarrassing."

"Ok. I'm not going to push you to do anything you don't wanna, I'm just being my usual obnoxious self. I just don't wanna let you outta my sight for a second, but I will. But for the record, you have nothing to be embarrassed about…You're beautiful. Besides, it's just me Babe."

"I know. I trust you. I am just shy I guess. Before, there was darkness and covers…and now…"

"Now it's just us. Same as it was then," Wheeler says.

Linka considers his words for a moment, "I do not want you to leave either but…"

Before she can finish, Wheeler scoops her into his arms, covers her mouth with his, and carries her into the bathroom. "Wheeeeeeler…What. Are. You. Doing?" she mutters between kisses.

"Trying to. Convince you. To save. Water. _Planeteer_," he replies. When he stops his assault on her lips, he looks her in the eyes and asks, "So how am I doin'?"

"Keep trying."

"Gladly," he says, returning his attention to her mouth and reaching behind her into the shower in order to turn the water on.

"Ok, ok…but I am warning you. My shampoo and shower gel is vanilla lavender…you are going to smell like a girl."

"I don't care. I love the way you smell," he confesses.

"You do?"

"Mmm hmm. Before all this, when you would walk past me, or stood next to me, I'd take a deep breath and just fall in love every time. It's like my senses were heightened to that scent."

"I did not realize it was so strong. I hope it is not too much."

"No, it's not. I asked the guys if they could figure out what the scent was, and they both said they never really noticed before. Like I said, I think it was just me. It got to me. The scent lingered, but wasn't overwhelming. When you leave a room, it stays. I could always tell if you'd been in a room before me, or I could tell when you entered a room without even seeing you walk in. So I don't care if I smell like vanilla lavender because it's just one more way that I can be reminded of you, even when you're not around."

"Wow. You _ARE_ good."

Wheeler smiles slyly and raises his eyebrows at her.

"Get in here," she says.

* * *

On the beach, Wheeler and Linka walk hand in hand over to Kwame and Ma-Ti, who are waxing their surfboards.

"Look who finally decided to crawl out of bed!" Kwame teases.

"We were about to go surfing, Gi promised us some good waves. Care to join us?" Ma-Ti asks.

"Uhh, I'd like to, but I think I'll pass. I have a feeling Gi might feel the urge to serve me up a tsunami," Wheeler says.

"Where is Gi?" Linka asks.

"She is sunbathing on the dock," Kwame says.

"I am going to join her…and if you want to go surfing Yankee, perhaps I can convince her to let you live!"

"That'd be great. Thanks Babe, you're the best," he says as he gives her a quick peck on the lips.

"You are welcome." As she walks away, she turns around and says to Wheeler, "Before you go surfing, could you stop by the dock and put sun block on my back?"

"Absolutely!" he shouts, unable to keep from grinning.

"Isn't that cute Ma-Ti? The mighty Wheeler has been tamed…or should I say, 'whipped?'" Kwame teases.

"Haha, yes. What is the world coming to? When Linka says jump and big bad Wheeler says 'how high?'"

"Very funny. And don't act like you two wouldn't jump at the chance to rub sun block all over a beautiful woman…I think you're jealous."

"Maybe if she had a bathing suit that covered her more, she would not need sun block," Ma-Ti laughs.

"Yes, I have never seen that one before. She must have been saving it for when she finally gave into Wheeler's pursuit," Kwame snickers.

"Can you imagine what he would be like if they were not together and she wore that suit? He would drown in his own drool!"

"Wow, you guys are hilarious!" Wheeler says as he grabs Ma-Ti and playfully puts him in a headlock.

"Umm, Wheeler…you smell like a girl," Ma-Ti says.

"Is that you?! I wondered what smelled like flowers," Kwame adds.

"No, it is more like vanilla," Ma-Ti corrects.

"For your information, it's vanilla **AND** flowers…and my skin has never felt softer…here feel it," Wheeler says as he extends his arm.

"NO! No thank you."

"Yes, we believe you," Kwame says. "Now if you will excuse us, we are going to go surfing…perhaps you would rather work on your tan with the _OTHER_ girls!"

Ma-Ti and Kwame high five each other. Usually it is Wheeler who is always making the wise cracks about the others. They are enjoying the opportunity to finally give him a taste of his own medicine. Wheeler was able to appreciate a good roast and was taking it all in stride.

"Are you kidding? And damage my skin? Linka just loofah-ed me."

"Umm, perhaps my English is not as good as I thought. I have not heard of being 'loofah-ed' and I know we are friends, but maybe you are sharing too much information," Ma-Ti says.

"It's a type of sponge! Scrubs off all the dead skin cells. Geez, you guys have been hanging around me too much!"

The other boys laugh at Wheeler, who has managed to embarrass himself to the point where he can feel his face turning red.

"Wow my friend. The sun is really getting to you. Perhaps you should go get that sun block rubdown now!" Kwame jokes.

"You say that as if it's a bad thing," Wheeler says, winking at his friends and heading towards the dock.

* * *

When Wheeler gets to the dock, the girls are sitting on the end of the dock, dangling their feet in the water, and don't notice him approaching. He bends down, reaches into the water, scoops up a handful of water, and splashes them. This gets their attention and they turn around, but the looks on their faces aren't that of amusement…it's not anger either. It's sad.

"Hey, what's up with you girls? Everything ok?"

"Nyet Wheeler. Come sit down," Linka says sadly.

"I'll leave you two alone," Gi says, standing up and taking her laptop with her.

"No Gi, stay. I want to apologize for earlier. Oh geez, I didn't know you had your computer. I didn't get it wet when I splashed you did I? _WHY_ do you have it by the way? Looks like work to me! You gotta learn to relax more."

"No Wheeler, you didn't get it wet, and there's no need to apologize. Let's just forget about it."

"Ok, agreed. So stick around."

"No, I'm going to put this away and find Kwame and Ma-Ti."

"Suit yourself. The guys are waiting for you to make them some waves anyways. Catch ya later," Wheeler says.

"Yeah. See ya," Gi says as she walks back towards land.

"Weird. Are you sure she's not mad at me?" Wheeler asks Linka as he sits down behind her, straddling her so that his legs are also hanging over the dock and into the water. He places several kisses on the back of her neck then grabs the sun block, squirts it into his palm, and begins rubbing the lotion onto her back and shoulders.

"She is not mad at you."

"She's not mad at you is she? Things seemed pretty tense when I came down here, and…"

"Wheeler, we need to talk."

"Uh-oh. That's never a good thing to hear." He stops applying the sun block and looks over her shoulder so that he can see her face. "You're not having second thoughts about us are you?"

"Nyet, of course not. We are going to need each other now more than ever."

"What's goin' on Linka, you're scarin' me."

"Gi was checking the email and got one from the Senate Majority Leader saying that the hold that was put on the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act has not been removed."

"What?! How could they see all that and not take the hold off? That senator from Idaho is one heartless S.O.B."

"The Senator that placed the hold on the bill did not even attend the presentation."

"What kinda politician is he? He's making major decisions, shouldn't he be informed on the subject? Not being there was irresponsible. What could have possibly been more important than doing his job?" Wheeler asks.

"According to the email, he was golfing with his lawyers."

Wheeler chuckles humorlessly, "Probably discussing how to get off on the charges from his arrest last summer."

The anger is building inside him. He wants to yell. He wants to knock some sense into this guy, but unfortunately, he's not here right now.

"MOTHER F…" but before he finishes, he slams his fist into the post on the dock. Luckily for him, the rope that was wrapped around the post cushioned the blow.

"Feel better?" Linka asks, taking his hand in hers and examining his slightly bloody knuckles.

"No," he says as he leans his forehead against her back and stares down at the ground, "…maybe a little."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes until Linka spoke,

"We did everything right. We did everything we could. There is nothing more that could have been done to change the outcome."

Wheeler looks up and rests his chin on her shoulder, "I know. It just sucks that the Greedlys of the world, these sickos that are making money at the expense of innocent horses' lives…they know the horrible things that are done to these horses, and they don't care. _**THAT**_ scares me. That a person can be so heartless."

"Money and greed is all that matters to them. This is the kind of world that we live in."

"Hard to imagine people would _WANT_ to bring kids into a world like this. Wars, genocide, starvation, hate, cruelty to animals **_AND_** people...how do you explain all that to a kid when they see it?"

"Easy. You do not let them see it. You let them remain innocent for as long as possible."

"So they can grow up sheltered and naïve? What are they going to do when they find out that the world isn't all gumdrops and sunshine?" he asks sarcastically.

"Well hopefully, they will have been raised to be tolerant of things that they do not agree with, and have the strong will to make a difference and try to make a change," she counters. "And when they do start watching the news and hearing about things, let them form their own opinions on it. You can guide them and offer advice, but do not force your views on them if they do not agree. But if you have done a good job of teaching them right from wrong, they will make the right decisions."

"Wow. That's pretty good. I never thought about it much before, but someday, you're gonna make a great mother."

"Someday, I hope. But a few minutes ago, it sounded like the only man I would want to have children with did not want to bring them into this world," she turns her head to look at him.

"Well, now that I know you have such great parenting skills, I think I'll reconsider…besides, imagine how good lookin' our kids would be! I can't deny the world of that!" he leans forward and kisses her.

When they part, Wheeler wraps his arms around her midsection as they stare out into the ocean. Linka was the first to speak,

"So now what? Do we just sit around and wait? I cannot do that knowing that hundreds of scared horses are being shipped to their deaths every day."

"Well, I can't just sit around and do nothing, but we also can't chase down every slaughter bound trailer and find something wrong with it. Plus, we've got other issues to focus on as Planeteers. I think I'm gonna go online and look into joining one of those grassroots lobbyist groups. I can write letters and make phone calls during my free time when we're not on missions. It's not much, but…I don't know..."

"...At least it is something. And I will help you in anyway I can, and I am sure the others will too. I may not be much help as far as calling and asking your politicians to support it since I am not a citizen and do not vote, but I can help you write letters and make flyers or anything else you need."

"Thanks Babe. Everything I need is right here, sitting in front of me…and remember what we talked about earlier? Someday you _WILL_ be a citizen and have a say in who gets voted into office, so you can still call."

"I hope this issue is resolved long before then."

"Me too…you know...I'd marry you tomorrow if I could."

"Just so I can become an instant American citizen and then have an influence on the politicians?" she teases.

"Yep. There might be a few other reasons, but that's the main one!" he teases her right back.

"Oh really? And what would these other reasons be?"

"Well, you're hot so you'd be a trophy wife…" This comment earns him a playful swat. Then he gets serious, "You bring out the best in me. You make me happier than I've ever been. You 'get me' and know how I think and act better than anyone else does…including myself," he says.

She leans back into him and rests her head on his shoulder. She turns to look at him, sees the seriousness in his sparkling blue eyes, and smiles. He returns her smile, holds her gaze, and continues.

"Oh yeah, and one more thing…I'm crazy about you. I love you Linka."

She turns sideways in his arms and swings her legs over his so that she can look at him from a more comfortable angle.

"And I love you," she says as she strokes his cheek and tips her head up to kiss him.

They stay there in each other's arms for hours, talking and enjoying each other's company. Occasionally they would get into the water to cool off when the sun's rays got to be too much for them. Even then, she kept her arms around his neck as they treaded water while the tide was rising. The symbolism of it all wasn't lost on them. Sometimes, things aren't always going to go their way and it is going to feel like they are struggling to keep their heads above water, such as the case with ending horse slaughter, but as long as they had each other to hold on to for support, they can get through anything.

The End.

* * *

Thanks again...I wish I could have made it a happier ending, but the American Horse Slaughter Prevetion Act still has a hold placed on it, and cannot be voted on, and pretending that it has passed just for the sake of a happy ending in a fanfic just seemed like an injustice to all the horses who are dying everyday and not getting a happy ending. There are good people out there doing all that they can though. The group I'm involve with along with others helped a local horse rescue raise money so that they were able to go to an auction in Sugar Creek Ohio on Memorial Day (May 26th) this year and save all 162 horses being auctioned off for slaughter! This rescue als did something similar around Thanksgiving at the New Holland auction in Pennsylvania. Wheeler would be proud!


End file.
